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Max Verstappen almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in F1 history in the recently concluded campaign, and the Dutchman has pinpointed the exact race that served as the turning point for Red Bull’s season.
Despite snatching two victories in the first half of the season, Red Bull’s regression from the prior 2024 season was clear to see.
The once dominant constructor had become vulnerable, and McLaren’s superiority in the tyre management department aided their quest to make sure they were now the top dogs in the F1 standings.
However, Verstappen’s RB21 found a new lease on life in the second half of the year. The Dutchman found some of his finest form in the latter stages of the season to mount a challenge for his fifth consecutive drivers’ title.
In the end, the championship went back to Woking with Lando Norris, but not before Verstappen could make the British earn it at the final race of the season.
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Max Verstappen pinpoints the race that was ‘very important’ in Red Bull’s 2025 turnaround
During an appearance on the Talking Bull podcast, Verstappen was asked for the moment that he felt like everything had clicked during the 2025 F1 season ahead of his resurgence as a title challenger.
The Dutchman had just one race in mind, answering, “I would say one that was very important for us was at Monza, where we finally, after so many tough weekends, had a really positive weekend.
“And then it just started rolling, you know, we had a bit of an understanding of the car, and we never really left the podium.
“That was already something that for us was very hard to achieve. So that was a big turnaround.”
Heading into the race weekend in Italy, the four-time world champion trailed the then-championship leader, Oscar Piastri, by 104 points in the F1 standings.
Verstappen’s victory at Monza served as the first of six in the second half of the season, and kick-started a purple patch that saw him take the fight to the McLaren duo ahead of him.
However, the Dutchman’s performance was overshadowed by an instalment of McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’. Piastri was ordered to concede his position to Norris after the latter’s race was affected by a slow pit stop.
The Australian yielded, much to the dismay of F1 fans who would go on to boo Norris during podium celebrations at future races for it.
How the Drivers’ Championship would’ve looked without THAT swap in Monza…🤯
Should Max Verstappen feel aggrieved that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri swapping places in Monza may have been the difference in the Drivers' Championship?
McLaren’s team orders at the Italian Grand Prix also ended up being a crucial moment in Lando Norris’ title feat
At the time, the swap between Norris and Piastri was thought to be an instance that would decide the title between the two McLaren drivers come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.
That wasn’t the case, though. Instead, the move had a crucial impact on Norris being able to keep the title from falling into Verstappen’s lap.
Norris was handed an extra three points from the driver swap in Italy, and he beat Verstappen by just two points in the drivers’ championship.
The Dutchman found the swap amusing at the time, asking his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, over the team radio, “Ha, just because he had a slow stop?”
Of course, it’s impossible to call how the season would have concluded if Piastri had refused to abide by the orders given to him, but it certainly does serve as a crucial moment in the grand scheme of things.
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