2021 was a defining year for Max Verstappen, with him winning his first-ever World Championship but it wasn’t a cakewalk. Verstappen struggled massively, being pushed to the limits by rival Lewis Hamilton in a battle that went down to the wire.
It was special, but the thought of reliving that season did not sound too exciting to Verstappen when brought up in a recent interview. “For me, like reliving my first title that day, I think I would die of a heart attack,” the Dutchman said.
Verstappen went on to talk about the events leading up to the season finale in Abu Dhabi, which he entered level on points with Hamilton. “Normally, before a race, I am not really that nervous,” he insisted.
max saying he’d die of a heart attack if he had to relive his first title/Abu Dhabi 2021 is so real of him. pic.twitter.com/WFVREeTtC2
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) December 26, 2024
But that day, his partner Kelly Piquet saw how stressed he was when she entered their hotel room. “She said my hands were like ice cold,” the Red Bull driver revealed. “I really don’t want to relive these kinds of moments.”
Throughout the season, Verstappen and Hamilton were part of fierce tussles on the track which resulted in several crashes, especially for the Dutchman. Looking back on the time, Verstappen certainly cannot be blamed for feeling more stressed than normal.
For spectators, 2021 was an exciting time with the sport’s viewership skyrocketing. But Verstappen would rather win titles comfortably as he did in 2022 and 2023 when there weren’t any challengers on track.
Another difficult season on the card for Verstappen in 2025?
The 27-year-old secured his fourth consecutive title earlier this year, but it turned out to be a competitive finish to the season, which saw four teams develop race-winning cars. Heading into 2025, the expectation is that all of them—Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes—could challenge for the title.
Among those top four teams, Red Bull seemed to suffer the most in the closing stages of 2024, with poor development and balance issues plaguing their performance. They could very well face similar issues next season, which means that Verstappen may once again have to drive a weaker car.
If that is the case, Red Bull would be eyeing the 2026 regulation changes, which are going to be engine-centric, to make their way back to the front of the field.
