Max Verstappen 'demons' pinned among factors behind F1 title defeat

Former Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski has pointed to Max Verstappen’s "demons" as one of the factors behind him missing out on a fifth consecutive F1 drivers’ title.

Verstappen finished just two points short of beating Lando Norris to the championship, despite having fallen 104 points adrift after the Dutch Grand Prix.

It was a staggering comeback by the Dutchman, who won seven of the final nine rounds; however, the damage had already been done in the first half of the year.

Red Bull’s RB21 was unable to compete with McLaren for several rounds, while even fighting for points proved difficult at venues such as Hungary.

In addition, Verstappen’s occasional red mist got the better of him in Barcelona, where he deliberately drove into the side of George Russell and was heavily penalised.

Had the 28-year-old not lost his temper in Spain, he would have scored nine more points than he finished the campaign with — enough to secure the title.

However, no single event can be pinned as the sole cause of Verstappen losing the championship, with it ultimately being the result of a combination of factors.

Reflecting on the season finale, Budkowski said on the RacingNews365 Podcast: "I think all three drivers who were fighting in Abu Dhabi, in a way, would have been worthy champions. I don’t think that if any of the three had won in the end, anyone would have said, ‘Oh, this is really bad, and it’s bad for Formula 1,’ or anything like that.

"The reality is, I think Lando deserves his title, as I’ve said, but the season Max had was nothing short of outstanding.

"I also think he cemented his status as the top driver in F1. He didn’t win this title partly because Red Bull’s competitiveness wasn’t up to par for a large part of the season, and partly because of his own demons — or mistakes, if you want.

"I think he did miss an opportunity. And as much as he makes it sound like, ‘Oh, well, you have four of these in the living room already — four or five doesn’t matter to me,’ I’m sure that’s not the case. Max is a competitor and a serial winner."

Abu Dhabi tension

The odds were against Verstappen heading into the Abu Dhabi season finale, which he entered 12 points behind Norris.

By claiming pole position and securing the race win, Verstappen did everything he could, although Norris finishing third was enough to secure the Briton a maiden title.

It was not the most thrilling of races, although Budkowski insists it had everyone on the edge of their seats.

"I think there are a lot of question marks going forward based on this season, but overall the season has been exceptional," added Budkowski. "The reality has been far more competitive than we expected at the beginning, and we had a great finale.

"It probably wasn’t the most exciting race of the season, but I compare it to a football World Cup final, where the tension is there throughout. That tension was present for the whole race and kept us on the edge of our seats.

"Some great football matches finish 0–0 but still keep you entertained throughout the game, and I think that was the case with the Abu Dhabi race."