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Down to the wire: Max Verstappen fights to the finish in F1 title race
This is how Oracle Red Bull Racing's hero turned around a 104-point deficit to end the 2025 Formula One season with victory in the final race and just two points from winning a fifth world title.
Max Verstappen's heroic late-season charge to try and capture his fifth Formula One Drivers' Championship title came down to the wire, as the Dutchman stormed to an unchallenged victory from pole position in the final race of the 2025 season in Abu Dhabi.
Following a brilliant series of drives in the second half of the season to turn a huge 104-point deficit to championship leader Lando Norris into just 16 ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Oracle Red Bull Racing's four-time champion did exactly what he needed to do in the title deciding race by winning the race from pole position by a comfortable 12.59s.
However, with Norris finishing the race in third place behind McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, the British driver just did enough to secure the 2025 Formula One World Championship crown by two points, denying Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing a fairy-tale ending to their incredible, determined late season charge.
Nevertheless, Verstappen ended his race and season as the man of the moment and extremely proud of the speed, smarts and fighting spirit both he and the team have shown since. "I feel good. I was already prepared for these kind of outcomes, because we needed a bit of luck to win," Verstappen said after the race.
Max did everything right in his final fight for the 2025 crown
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“I’m very proud of the whole team and the incredible turnaround that we had. We never gave up and always believed we could turn things around. We never stopped trying. We could have very easily just given up, but we kept pushing, looking for improvements and always believed. This season has been a massive rollercoaster, with lots of tough moments and feelings, but I’m so proud of everyone and we have really come together as a team.
"The turnaround in the second half of the season was incredible and pretty crazy that we could do that and we overcame a lot. Although not winning a championship by two points looks painful, going back to Zandvoort we were behind by over 100 points, so it is great what we have achieved."
How the 2025 Formula One world title decider unfolded
At the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing knew that a victory was the best hope they had of claiming the Drivers' title. In that scenario, Norris would have to finish third or better to secure the title.
Both driver and team did everything right during Saturday's qualifying to give them the best shot at glory. Verstappen drove a spotless lap in Q3 to secure pole position by two hundredths of a second ahead of Norris and Piastri. "It was a simply lovely qualifying. We did well the whole weekend, have been fine tuning the car and then also made some final changes which helped the car a little bit. This allowed me to push a bit more to the limit and extract the most out of the car," he said straight afterwards.
The key moment of the race as Verstappen gets the perfect start to lead
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Then, in the nail-biting final showdown on Sunday, driver and team delivered another superb performance that reflected their status as the best team on the grid during the second half of the season.
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After making a clean get away at the start, Verstappen led into the first corner and wasn't challenged after that. The team ensured perfect pit stops and he drove away to win the Grand Prix by 12.594s from Piastri. It wasn't quite enough to bring home the title, as Norris's third place secured him a maiden title by just two points, but both Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing delivered a perfect weekend to make it as close as it was.
“We didn’t win the championship, okay, that happens, that’s life and it’s not something that I’ll be too sad about. I mean, life goes on, said the 28-year-old to F1.com. "Today has been a lot of fun, especially winning the race in such a dominant way. We had an incredible weekend and did everything as best as we could, so ultimately I feel good today.
"For Lando this is something very special and I hope he enjoys it a lot. The first Championship win is the most emotional one and it is something you dream of since you were a little kid. His family are here and I hope he enjoys tonight with his team."
It was an eighth win for Vertappen, the most of any driver in 2025
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Although not winning a championship by two points looks painful, going back to Zandvoort we were behind by over 100 points, so it is great what we have achieved
Thanks to his Abu Dhabi win however, Verstappen did once again end 2025 as the driver with the most Grands Prix wins, securing eight victories in total to the seven each of Norris and Piastri.
Oracle Red Bull Racing team principle and CEO Laurent Mekies was equally impressed with the performance to take the title race down the very last laps of the season.
"It was so tight this year, and we put up a really great fight right to the end, finishing with a dominant display today. We didn’t expect to put in a performance like that around this track, so a big credit to the team and to Max for getting the car into a position to do exactly that. Starting from pole, we knew the win could be in our hands, and Max was perfect from start to finish, with excellent tyre management to see us through."
What now for Max Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing?
Big changes are coming for F1 and Oracle Red Bull Racing in 2026
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First, a well-earned break after a difficult season for all involved. It won't be a long one for either Verstappen or the team ,however, because massive changes are coming to F1 for 2026. The sport will undergo its biggest technical regulation changes in over a decade and Oracle Red Bull Racing is set to debut a new engine partnership with American auto giants Ford.
All-new cars are on the cards for Formula One from 2026 and beyond after the FIA ratified new rules that call for lighter, more agile cars with updated chassis, aerodynamics and engines. On top of that, the team is also swapping the Honda power plants of recent seasons and becoming an engine manufacturer for the first time with the brand-new Red Bull Ford Powertrains, which are being manufactured in-house at the Oracle Red Bull Racing campus in Milton Keynes, England.
The all-new RB22 car will make it's first public appearance on January 15, 2026, in Ford's home city, Detroit, at the official team launch. Testing will begin very shortly after that, as the team and drivers push to get up to speed ahead of the 2026 season's opening Australian Grand Prix on the weekend of March 6-8.
Isack Hadjar has impressed during his rookie F1 season
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Oracle Red Bull Racing welcome a new driver and Verstappen a new team-mate as well in 2026, as Isack Hadjar is moving up from the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls to join the team for just his second F1 season.
The young French driver scored a sensational debut podium at the Dutch Grand Prix and has impressed hugely during his rookie season in 2025, earning the call up to Oracle Red Bull Racing.
"In his first F1 season, Isack has displayed great maturity and proved to be a quick learner. Most importantly, he has demonstrated the raw speed that is the number one requirement in this sport. We believe Isack can thrive alongside Max and produce the magic on track," said Laurent Mekies of his new recruit.
