Lando Norris
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Max Verstappen’s reign as the Formula 1 champion came to an end in 2025, as Lando Norris won his first title by only two points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale.
But Romain Grosjean believes 2025 was still the best season that Verstappen has enjoyed in his 11-year F1 career to date. The 28-year-old blew the Frenchman away, as he took the title fight to the wire at Yas Marina in pursuit of a fifth consecutive F1 drivers’ championship title.
Red Bull star Verstappen even finished the 2025 F1 season with the most Grand Prix wins (8) and pole positions (8) by any driver. Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi GP from pole to go clear of Norris on seven wins and seven poles in 24 races, as well as Oscar Piastri on seven wins.
Eight victories represent Verstappen’s fewest wins in a season since 2021, when he won his first of four straight titles with his 10th win of that term at the Abu Dhabi GP. The Dutchman beat Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 title by eight points with his controversial last-lap overtake.
Romain Grosjean thinks Max Verstappen’s 2025 F1 title fight inspired ‘a lot’ of drivers
Grosjean rates Verstappen’s 2025 above his four titles, though, as his comeback from a 104-point deficit to Piastri atop the standings through 15 of 24 rounds inspired “a lot” of drivers. He outscored the McLaren man in each of the final nine rounds, and also Norris over seven.
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Ex-Haas F1 driver Grosjean also rates 2025 above Verstappen’s dominant 2023 title triumph, as his 19 wins from the 22 Grands Prix that year were made “easier” – if not simply “easy” – by the dominance Red Bull enjoyed over the field. The RB19 was almost unbeatable in 2023.
Grosjean told Sport1: “Verstappen, I’ve got to say, for me, this year he was the outstanding driver of all of them. He didn’t have a good car, lost a lot of points, and then came back. It was a miracle that he was in the fight in Abu Dhabi.
“There is no world where he should have been in there and finishing only two points behind Lando Norris. He’s been outstanding. It’s definitely one of his best seasons.
“I think last year was strong. The year before, the car was so dominant that it was kind of easy. Well, never easy, but easier. His first world championship was tough in the battle with Lewis. So, that was also a good one.
“But I would say that this year, coming back from so far behind and being so impressive, so consistent and strong, that has been very inspiring for a lot of drivers.”
Lando Norris denied Max Verstappen a historic comeback in the 2025 F1 title fight
Fill in the gap: Max Verstappen will finish his F1 career with _____ titles
Carlos Sainz took the only Grand Prix victory by a non-Red Bull driver in 2023 when he won that year’s Singapore Grand Prix for Ferrari on a rare bad weekend for Verstappen’s team. It also ended Verstappen’s run of 10-straight wins, but he then secured nine wins on the spin.
Verstappen could not rely on having a dominant car throughout the term to defend the title again in 2025, as Norris ultimately sealed his first championship with 423 points playing 421. Verstappen also won just two of the first 15 races before Red Bull had a floor update in Italy.
Norris only outscored Verstappen during the run-in when the Briton won in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Verstappen capitalised on Red Bull’s continued updates to win in Italy, Azerbaijan, Austin, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, while McLaren stopped developing their car in July.
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