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Max Verstappen reflects on his strongest season, the championship fight, and his relaxed approach to life & racing. He also discusses his GT3 & sim racing plans & the evolution of F1.
Published December 23, 2025
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Max Verstappen
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Interviewer: The driver's dinner. When you're in Abu Dhabi, you go out for a lovely dinner, all of you together. You've done it for a few years. How do you decide who pays? Interviewee: Well, I tell you, last year was very nice of Valtteri. Actually, he took the bill. So then, well, the drivers are joking a little bit like this, this year it's Max's turn. I was like, yeah, sure. But I was sitting on the opposite side of the entrance of the private room. So for like most of the night, you know, you're having a laugh and then suddenly, okay, suddenly people were wanting to go. And then we realized that Pierre already paid the dinner.
Interviewer: The bill came and you went to the toilet. Is that basically what you're telling us? Interviewee: No, I was drinking my gin tonics on the other side.
Interviewer: You avoided the bill. Interviewee: So I guess next time before I enter, I have to tell them that at the end of the night, the bill is for me so that I can actually finally pay it.
Interviewer: Right. So if it comes down to you paying the bill, are you just like, just tap water all around? Interviewee: No, no, no, no. Just like set menu, 40 quid. No, I'm normally very generous with these kind of things. So, yeah, I just didn't get to pay yet. But I'm sure that we have another dinner next year. Yeah. I will get there eventually.
Interviewer: Well, look, Max, end of the season 2025 is done. Let's just keep it short. How do you reflect on the year? Interviewee: Decent. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, not a great first half. Let's say that a lot of ups and downs, but I think our second half has been fun. I mean, we've been consistently on the podium. We've won really cool races. And I think, yeah, just the turnaround that we had as a team, I mean, it's something that I personally also didn't expect. I think not many people expected that, but I'm very happy, of course, with the second half, of what we have achieved there.
Interviewer: Yeah. It was really nice to hear your radio message at the end of Abu Dhabi that you were like, please don't be disappointed. This has been an incredible season. You were 104 points behind and you finished two points between you and Lando. That catch up was incredible. As a fan of yours, I was that person that after every race, I was then on chat GPT to try and work out the mathematics of you being able to get this championship. Interviewee: No, it was. And that's why also when I crossed the line, I personally wasn't too disappointed because I think in the middle of the season, it felt like the championship was not on at all. You know, so to be back in that fight all the way till the end, to lose it by two points, at the end of the day, it also doesn't matter. If you lose it by one point or 20 or 50, you don't win it. So it's as simple as that. That's why for me, yeah, I don't dwell on these kind of things.
Interviewer: But it's quite unique and it must have been quite nice in a way to not only be racing at the front end, at the sharp end of the grid, but also be able to just be so relaxed and calm because I guess it felt like there was nothing to lose. Interviewee: Yeah, because I mean, there's a difference when you're constantly fighting for the championship throughout the year and then lose out by two points. That's different. That's not nice. But for the first 14, 15 races, I personally never thought about a championship in my head. So everything that came after was just a bonus. And then, yeah, eventually it turned out to be that close. But yeah, this is the dream way to do it, isn't it?
Interviewer: But also at the same time, you're gaining more fans. There have been fans that maybe weren't rooting for you in previous years that have been rooting for you this season. So how does that feel? Interviewee: Yeah. I mean, surprising. Interviewer: You've become the underdog. Interviewee: I think naturally, of course, with an underdog role, people will start to support you a bit more. But I guess maybe they finally start to realize who I am. Who I really am.
Interviewer: What did you do after Abu Dhabi? How did you celebrate? Did you go out? Or because you're like full-blown family man now. Was it like, let's go home, make the dinner, get the kids to bed? Interviewee: No, we had a really nice dinner with friends and family. And yeah, just enjoyed a bit on the terrace until a little bit after midnight. So it's pretty nice, you know, just with your good friends around you, just having a good time.
Interviewer: I mean, 11 years, Max, it's your 11th season you've just completed. I mean, how much do you think you've changed as a person? In what ways have you changed since you were so young when you first started as well, right? You were a teenager, literally. Interviewee: I mean, I think in general life, of course, you gain a lot more experience. You become a bit older and wiser, I hope. And then, of course, in the racing world as well. I mean, from my also technical understanding of the car and just the way I work with people, the way you deal with people as well, right? The relationships that you build. I mean, all those things I think you've become better at over those years.
Interviewer: Was there a particular race this year for you where everything just clicked? Interviewee: Well, I would say one that was very important for us was in Monza, where we finally, after so many tough weekends, we had a really positive weekend. And then it just started rolling. You know, we had a bit of an understanding of the car and we never really left the podium, which, I mean, that's already something that for us was already very hard to achieve. So that was a big turnaround.
Interviewer: And you've talked about, well, you talked beforehand about, you know, your plans for GT3 and for Red Lion. And do you, can you divulge some of these plans for next year in the GT3 sim racing scene? Interviewee: Yeah, it's becoming more and more serious. I mean, we entered, of course, this year, not as a pro car, but as in the Gold Cup. So, of course, one of the drivers that jumped in came from the sim racing world. So, for me to immediately put him in like the pro car championship was probably a bit much, I would say. But I always said we do compare ourselves with them in terms of lap time. That's the target. Now, we won, of course, the Gold Cup championship. So, that's, of course, the one just below the pro cars, which I think was our target starting the year. And I think also throughout the year, the drivers made some nice steps forward, really understanding also how to overcome difficulties with the car balance, you know, understanding how to go faster and optimizing qualifying and race stints and stuff. And then next year, of course, yeah, we want to be in the pro championship, basically, with changing cars. I cannot say which one yet, but yeah, you'll find out soon, but it's getting bigger and better.
Interviewer: But, like, how do you find the time? How do you find the time to do all of this? You do so many things. But, like, running and, like, coming two points away from winning a Formula One championship while also doing GT3, while also doing sim racing, like, how do you do that? Interviewee: Well, I think if you're passionate about stuff, then it's also easier to dedicate your time to it, right? If you have to, of course, do stuff that you also don't really enjoy, then it's very mentally draining. When it's your passion and you love what you're doing, then it's not really mentally draining.
Interviewer: So, what racing series do you dream about at night? At night? Yeah. What's the first one you think of when you wake up in the morning? Interviewee: No, most of the time it's about what I can change to the GT car in terms of, like, stuff that I want changed or optimised. Yeah. F1, I mean, I have so many people behind me anyway in the team that I trust and they do their job very well. But, of course, in the GT world, it's a much smaller team. Right? So, and there's still a lot of things that I also need to understand better and learn. So, I'll do that in my sleep.
Interviewer: I remember a few years ago speaking to Atsi, who obviously works with you on Redline, and him saying, you know, during red flags and breaks, you're in the WhatsApp group, you're in the Discord messaging. Are you still that active? Interviewee: Yeah, I'm still very active. I'm driving a little bit less, like racing. Interviewer: Sure. Why is it a little bit less? Interviewee: Because, I mean, the team is in a great spot and great drivers, great management. So, they know what they have to do and I don't need to jump in. I can drive if I want to, let's say like that. But, yeah, I mean, I still, if, like, sometimes I'm competing or whatever, I can wake up in the middle of the night with some ideas and I do need to test it. Like, I cannot wait for it.
Interviewer: So, then what do you do? Interviewee: Wake up and turn on the simulator. Interviewer: Like at two o'clock in the morning or something? Interviewee: I've done that, yeah.
Interviewer: I mean, you look back to when you first started in Formula One. What do you think young Max Verstappen? Would say to you, Max Verstappen, sat there now. Could you see the guy that you were going to develop into? Interviewee: No, because I don't think about this. I don't want to know. I'm not interested in it.
Interviewer: If you could give him advice, what would you give him? Interviewee: Nothing. I would want him to make the same mistakes or go through the same tough times, good times. Because if you know everything in advance, it's really boring. Yeah. But you learn from the mistakes as well. And you get lazy as well if you know everything in advance.
Interviewer: You know, your 11 seasons in the sport, what would you say was the season maybe you learned the most or maybe had the most struggles or most difficulty in? Interviewee: Yeah. 2018, the start. Yeah. The first, what is it, seven, eight races, I think. Just, yeah, making some mistakes myself. And then you get into a negative spiral. You try to push even harder and it all just, yeah, didn't work out. And being really upset with myself. And then I had a turnaround in Montreal. And I have to say, I think from that day, that's really where it clicked. And it went. Yeah.
Interviewer: The fans, we love how transparent you are about your feelings towards it. Because what I would ask Max, actually, you know, you've been in this sport for so long now. What do you think the media could do better? What do you think the fans could maybe understand more? Because, you know, we see what we're shown. We see what we're shown on telly and what statements the team's release and all of that. But what do you think the media could do better in your like dream version of F1? Interviewee: Don't ask that many stupid questions. Because if you ask me a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.
Interviewer: So this is from Ashwin in India who says, which era of car would you like to drive the most? Good question. Interviewee: That's a good question. Yeah. We're going to answer that with a good answer. Good. Um, to be honest, I think like my, well, what I think would still give me like goosebumps watching is like the early 2000s. And they were so small as well. Lighter and a bit more like rough.
Interviewer: Question from Chris from the USA. What will you miss least about racing in the ground effect era? Interviewee: The stiffness of the cars. Like you had to run them, of course, very low and to the ground. And for our backs and everything, it was quite tough. Like cornering five and a half G on average. But in some tracks, because it was a bit bumpy or whatever, and then the cars being so low to the ground, you bottom out so aggressive that, for example, in Austin, I would hit like nine G, vertical load.
Interviewer: Oh, this is from Harsh in the UAE, who says, what's the one goal that you have before you retire from F1? I don't think he's wishing that you retire, but he's just, you know, wondering what you want to achieve. And if one, I mean, you've done a lot. Interviewee: I don't know. There are not many goals. It's just like, I want to continue, of course, trying to win. Have fun as well with the people that I'm working with. So the goal is basically trying to stay competitive, I guess.
Interviewer: Considering everything that happened in your career so far, what is one race you would like to live again? Interviewee: Oh, that's a great question. That's a good question. Probably the easiest one. Interviewer: Not Brazil 2016. Interviewee: No, no, not that one. Probably got a heart attack with some of the, some of the, like, really tough ones. Interviewer: Maybe a nice, easy Monaco. Interviewee: Or an easy Monza.
Interviewer: This is from Jason in the USA who says, do you have goals of helping develop Ford's 2027 Le Mans hypercar entry through working with them through 2026? Interviewee: We haven't spoken about that.
Interviewer: Have you heard the engine yet? How did you feel when you heard it? It makes a noise. That's good to know. That's very handy. How did it feel when you heard it for the first time? Because it's all new powertrains. Interviewee: Yeah. I mean, it sounded good. I mean, it sounded... Like an engine. It sounded like... Yeah. I mean, yeah, it sounded... I'd hope so. I mean, of course, you hear it on a dyno, but it sounded like crisp. Okay. Okay. I guess, I mean, I'm not sure they actually develop on the noise, but I mean, it made a good noise. Yeah. Good.
Interviewer: So now we're done for the year. I want a good answer to this, please. What are you looking forward to over the break that's not eating, sleeping or drinking? What are you looking forward to and what are you going to be doing? Interviewee: Besides the obvious, spending time with family, which is always super important when you're away for that long. So first Christmas together, then on holiday with some good friends as well. Nice. I'm really looking forward to that, first of all. Like, I really need it. And then just making sure that whatever I'm doing next year with, you know, the program like we explained with GT3 stuff, that it's all going to work out well and that it's well prepared. That's actually what I'm looking forward to, to make sure that that's in a good state.
Interviewer: Is there anything you want to say to the Red Bull Racing fans before we wrap up and we let you go? Interviewee: Thank you very much for sticking with us, even in a very tough season, I would say, especially in the beginning. But at the same time, we're a team that never gives up. And I'm very proud of how we here at the factory and our fans, of course, as well, kept it together. And at the end of the day, we celebrated again some very beautiful moments. So thank you very much for that. See you next year.
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