Max Verstappen says he is proud of Red Bull for turning their 2025 season around and staying in title contention following their win at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
A commanding victory was secured ahead of Lando Norris on Saturday night, with Verstappen provisionally closing the gap on the McLaren driver to 42 points. That gave Verstappen a mathematical chance in the title race heading into Qatar even before then. Both McLarens were disqualified due to excessive plank wear.And before the gap narrowed to 24 points, the Dutchman said he was enjoying being isolated and fighting for victory.
“I think that’s a better approach,” Verstappen said. “There’s still a big gap. But we always try to make the most of what we have and this weekend was the first time we did that. And next weekend we’ll try to win the race again. And at the end of Abu Dhabi we’ll see where we end up.”
“But I’m so proud of everyone. We had a tough season with some real ups and downs, but we also had some really beautiful moments. And we learned a lot throughout the season, which will be very valuable for years to come.”
“So, that’s something we’ve got to hang on to and just try to get even better to come back even stronger for next year and be able to compete from the beginning of the year in the championship. But we’re enjoying the moment and we’ll see what we can do again next week.”
Verstappen, who was 104 points behind then-championship leader Oscar Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix seven races ago, said the key to his comeback was Red Bull’s ability to score high points during a less competitive race weekend.
“We’re more consistently on the podium. There were races where we weren’t in contention for wins, but from mid-’24 to mid-’25 we were probably off the podium more often than on the podium. And now we’re always fighting for second or third, but at least we’re on the podium. I think that’s already a very good step forward for us.”
“Of course, if I really wanted to fight for the title, I think I should have done it from the beginning. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out at the beginning, but at least now I’m more consistent and sometimes it’s enough to win.”
