Max Verstappen takes defiant stance after 'love-hate' relationship

Max Verstappen insists he has "no regrets" over this 2025 F1 season, despite falling just two points short of claiming a fifth successive drivers' championship.

The Red Bull driver explained that he both "hated" and "loved" the RB21 at times, which the Dutchman likened to riding a "rollercoaster" in over the campaign.

Lando Norris' third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ultimately denied Verstappen the crown at the season finale, but the 28-year-old's consistently strong performances kept him in — and helped him back into — the fight for the title. 

The MCL39 was the car to beat across the year, with the four-time F1 drivers' champion often having to extract the maximum from inferior machinery, leading many to judge the season as the best of his F1 career.

When asked by media, including RacingNews365, if he feels 2025 has been the best year he has driven, Verstappen replied: "Yeah, I think so.

"I have no regrets about my season. I think the performance has been strong. I've hated this car at times, but I've also loved it at times.

"And I always tried to extract the most from it, even in the difficult weekends that we’ve had. But, yeah, it's been, like I said before, a proper rollercoaster with the car."

Under the leadership of new team principal Laurent Mekies, a floor upgrade at the Italian Grand Prix in September transformed Red Bull and Verstappen's year, which had looked to be fizzling out.

It helped the Dutchman to six victories in the final nine rounds and vaulted him back into contention against the McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen explained how that turning point also made his season "a lot more enjoyable" than it had been up to that point.

He also underlined the momentum the Milton Keynes-based squad developed over the period, something he hopes to maintain as F1 enters a new regulations era — and Red Bull becomes a power unit manufacturer for the first time.

"Luckily, the last, I would say, eight, nine rounds in general have been a lot more enjoyable," the 71-time grand prix winner explained. "And also, in the team, we have a great atmosphere at the moment.

"We’re really on a roll — positive energy, belief, confidence — and that’s exactly what you want heading into next year."