Max Verstappen predicts a “real battle” in 2025

Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen, clinched his fourth consecutive world title in 2024. A season he described as a rollercoaster, during the FIA awards ceremony in Kigali.

An impressive season

Max Verstappen had to face an immense challenge this season against Lando Norris in the battle for the title. The race in Brazil was a defining moment of the championship where the Dutchman went from 17th place on the grid to victory, putting him in an ideal position to seal his triumph in Las Vegas.

However, while his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez struggled with the RB20 this year, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri enabled McLaren to win the constructors’ championship, edging out Ferrari by just 14 points. Red Bull finished third, 77 points behind the leaders, with Max Verstappen alone scoring 74.2% of the team’s points.

« This season, as you have seen, has been quite eventful, » declared Max Verstappen while receiving his trophy for the fourth time. « We started the year very well, everything seemed perfect. I think that, from the outside, everything looked under control, but as a team, we understood our limits and what we needed to work on. »

« The competition has done an excellent job, they have greatly improved their cars, which has made things much more difficult for us, especially concerning the constructors. We had a tough period in the middle of the season, but even under pressure and in complicated moments, the team stayed united. We didn’t panic, which is easy to do in these situations. »

« At the end of the day, I am very proud of everyone on the team. Of course, we are not here as constructors’ champions, but, in a way, I think we deserved a bit more in this championship. »

Max Verstappen focuses on 2025

I gave my all and we also know what we need to work on for next year. I’m very excited about this, as it seems we are going to witness a real battle between many teams.

With this new success, Max Verstappen joins a very exclusive club of drivers in the history of F1 who have won four world titles. Only three drivers are ahead of him: Juan Manuel Fangio (five titles), Michael Schumacher, and Lewis Hamilton (seven titles each).

Asked on stage about what it feels like to be ranked among these great F1 figures, Max Verstappen replied: As a child, you don’t think about these things. You look at these names and you say to yourself, ‘Wow, that’s really impressive,’ hoping that one day you can step onto the podium.

« Sometimes you get lucky in life, you’re in the right place at the right time. Of course, as a driver, you have to know how to take advantage of it, and fortunately, I was able to do that at the same time. Four titles is incredible, it’s truly amazing. Of course, I hope it doesn’t stop here and that we can continue to perform for a long time. We’ve already seen this year that the competition is very tight. »

« But once again, in 2026, many things will change and maybe other teams will be competitive again. For now, I think it’s very important to enjoy the moment, to be proud of what we have accomplished as a team, and we will try again next year. »