Max Verstappen reacts with trademark blunt humour after losing F1 title to Lando Norris
Max Verstappen may have narrowly missed out on a fifth consecutive Formula 1 world championship, but the Red Bull driver showed little sign of bitterness as he reflected on his defeat to Lando Norris. Instead, the four-time world champion delivered a characteristically dry and brutally honest response that underlined both his realism and sense of humour.
Verstappen finished the 2025 season just two points behind Norris following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the Dutchman claimed victory but fell agonisingly short of overturning the deficit. Norris’ third-place finish at Yas Marina proved enough to secure his maiden world championship, capping off a remarkable season for both the McLaren driver and his team.
While Verstappen’s late-season resurgence made the title fight thrilling to the very end, the Red Bull star openly admitted that simply being in contention at all was something of a bonus, given how the campaign began. Earlier in the year, McLaren enjoyed a clear performance advantage, leaving Verstappen trailing by as many as 104 points at one stage. Few expected the championship battle to remain alive going into the final race.
Despite winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen acknowledged that the damage had largely been done in the opening phase of the season. Red Bull struggled to match McLaren’s pace, consistency, and development, and Verstappen suggested that external factors — rather than outright dominance — played a significant role in bringing him back into the title fight.
Speaking to Viaplay after the season finale, Verstappen was refreshingly candid in his assessment. He explained that Red Bull never truly led the championship at any point and that McLaren’s misfortunes helped keep his hopes alive.
“I think we can be happy that we were able to fight for the championship at all,” Verstappen said. “First of all, we were never really leading it. We also received a lot of gifts along the way.”
One of the most decisive moments, according to Verstappen, came at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where McLaren suffered a dramatic double disqualification. Verstappen went on to win that race, a swing in points that proved crucial in closing the gap to Norris.
“You get to Las Vegas, you win the race, and McLaren is disqualified,” he added. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be there in the fight at all. That was a gift too, and we benefited from it.”
Despite finishing just two points adrift of the championship, Verstappen made it clear that the margin of defeat held little emotional significance for him. Whether the gap was minimal or substantial, the end result remained the same.
“The fact that it’s two points doesn’t really matter,” he said. “It could be one point or twenty points — not winning is not winning.”
That sentiment was echoed by the interviewer, who remarked that coming second still means losing the title. But Verstappen, never one to shy away from blunt metaphors, took the comment a step further with a remark that quickly became a talking point.
“You are pregnant or you are not pregnant,” he said with a grin. “You are not half pregnant, right?”
The comment perfectly captured Verstappen’s mindset: results in Formula 1 are binary, and close losses do not carry moral victories in his eyes. Either you are world champion, or you are not.
Despite missing out on the title, Verstappen’s season was widely praised. His comeback from a triple-digit points deficit showcased his relentless consistency, racecraft, and ability to extract maximum performance even when Red Bull did not have the fastest car. Winning the final race of the season only reinforced his status as one of the sport’s most formidable competitors.
Meanwhile, Norris’ championship triumph marked a major milestone for both driver and team, signalling a shift in the competitive landscape after years of Red Bull dominance. McLaren’s pace throughout the season ultimately proved decisive, even if costly errors along the way nearly opened the door for Verstappen to steal the crown.
In typical fashion, Verstappen’s reaction avoided drama, excuses, or self-pity. Instead, he accepted the outcome with brutal honesty, a touch of humour, and a clear-eyed view of reality — a response that perfectly summed up why he remains one of Formula 1’s most compelling figures, win or lose.
