P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen has doubled down on his claim that he would have won the 2025 F1 championship – and much sooner – had he been driving for McLaren.
Max Verstappen remains firm in his belief that he could have secured the 2025 Formula 1 championship sooner if he had been driving for McLaren, even though he narrowly missed out on retaining his title after a remarkable comeback in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen’s victory at the final race was not enough to prevent Lando Norris from claiming the championship, finishing just two points behind the British driver.
The Dutchman expressed confidence that the championship would have been settled in his favor much earlier had he been in the McLaren car, challenging Norris and Oscar Piastri until the final race after being 104 points behind in August.
Although Norris criticized Verstappen’s comments, the four-time World Champion stood by his assertion when speaking to German publication Blick, maintaining that he can always respond to his competitors on the track.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Verstappen is set to face McLaren again while staying with Red Bull and partnering with new teammate Isack Hadjar, as the team transitions to an in-house powertrain built with Ford.
