Max Verstappen delivered the best season in his Formula 1 career to date, despite his streak of four, consecutive world titles coming to an end. That is not only the viewpoint of this writer and the majority of readers, but also the man himself.

“Yeah I think so,” said Verstappen, when asked after the Abu Dhabi finale if 2025 was his best yet. “I have no regrets of my season. The performance has been strong, I’ve hated this car at times but I’ve also loved it at times and I always try to extract the most of it even in the difficult weekends that we have had.”

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It’s been well covered, but to emphasise it again: Verstappen being in the title conversation come the final day was remarkable. That’s because Red Bull started the year completely on the back foot, having produced an unpredictable RB21 that was unstable and lacked balance compared with the rocketship that reigning champions McLaren brought for 2025.

But even in those early rounds when the Woking squad was the dominant force, Verstappen still extracted the most out of his car and claimed a points total that no other driver would have done. His standout moment is obviously that incredible pole lap at Suzuka, as until then Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had been setting the pace before Verstappen stood up when it mattered most to stun the McLaren pair and take the track record.

He held on for victory, his first of the season, before claiming a second win four races later at Imola for round seven. It was there that the four-time world champion won the grand prix by making a daring overtake on poleman Piastri around the outside of the Tamburello chicane - thus earning him the FIA Action of the Year Award.

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Those results, however, still weren’t enough to initially keep Verstappen in the title conversation as McLaren gradually kept getting further and further ahead. The Dutchman also didn’t help himself in Barcelona, seemingly colliding with George Russell on purpose thus earning himself a 10-second penalty that dropped him from fifth to 10th in the result, but that’s just one race in a 24-round calendar.