Max Verstappen was in for a roller coaster ride in 2024 as he had to face immense competition to win his fourth consecutive world title. It was a tumultuous season with Red Bull’s form deteriorating due to a problematic car concept that frustrated the Dutchman. Still, he managed to overcome those struggles to clinch another championship in a convincing fashion.
Many, including Verstappen, feel that the 2024 title triumph was the best of his four titles. Even Guenther Steiner agrees. “I think this is the best one. I think this one for him ranks first,” Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast.
The hosts then chimed in to ask if 2024 was better than Verstappen’s maiden championship in 2021. On this, Steiner said,
“Yeah, 2021 in the end, he got a little bit lucky, to say the least. But this one, he had to fight for it, he was strategic. He had a lot of things going against him. For me, this one was his best one”.
The former Haas boss was referring to the Safety Car chaos that unfolded in the dying embers of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. Verstappen was way behind Lewis Hamilton before Nicholas Latifi crashed on lap 54, which set in motion a chain of events that caused a lot of controversy but also helped the Dutchman secure his maiden championship.
Cut to 2024, Verstappen was once again facing fierce competition for race wins just like he faced from Hamilton in 2021. This time, however, it was multifold with several other drivers being in winning contention, complicating the Red Bull driver’s title defense.
Unmatched in 2024 #F1 @Max33Verstappen pic.twitter.com/6prk5lNrVO
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 11, 2024
Nevertheless, Verstappen eked out the last ounce of performance from his car to secure the title. But in 2025, that may not be the case.
2025 could be Verstappen’s toughest test
Several other teams besides Red Bull took a step forward in performance in 2024. McLaren and Ferrari were the two prominent constructors that overtook the Austrian outfit in the pecking order to finish first and second in the championship. Naturally, they would be on the front foot heading into the 2025 season as the best two teams.
Moreover, with the ailing troubles of the RB20 concept, there is no guarantee that Red Bull will be able to provide race-winning machinery to Verstappen for the last season of the ground-effect era. Even if they can resolve their issues and get back in the fight as the 2025 season progresses, the defending world champion could mostly be on the back foot at the start.
And it was evident how Verstappen’s early season dominance in 2024 helped him secure the championship. The points advantage cushion he created in the initial 10 races of the season did not take much damage till the end of the season.
In 2025, other drivers like Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, or Oscar Piastri could be in his position. So, Verstappen could have a steep climb to secure a fifth consecutive drivers’ title — a feat only Michael Schumacher has been able to achieve.
