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Max Verstappen lost out to Lando Norris in his battle for the 2025 drivers' world championship by a mere two points. Fans subsequently reacted to the Dutchman losing his reigning world champion status as he lost out on his reigning world champion title heading into the 2026 F1 season.
Verstappen started out the 2025 season on the back foot. The papaya drivers arguably had a faster car underneath them, and the Dutchman was only able to score two Grand Prix victories before the summer break.
Moreover, after the Dutch GP, his gap to the championship lead had grown to 104 points. Despite this, he had started on a venture to make a comeback in the drivers' championship standings and arrived in Abu Dhabi with just 12 points off the lead.
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This meant that Lando Norris only had to bring home a P3 finish to guarantee him the championship, and that's where he ended up finishing. This meant that Verstappen's status of being the reigning champion was snatched from him, and he would have to give up the Number 1 on his car come 2026.
Sharing their thoughts on this, fans wrote on X:
"Welcome back MV33"
"Congratulations to Max Verstappen for giving everything until the end. He fought all the way to the final Grand Prix despite having a car less competitive than the McLaren," one fan wrote.
"I’m not angry this has been a legacy season from Max. Would have loved this to be in the record books as it would be one of the greatest championships ever but Max has been almost perfect all season," another fan wrote.
Fans further added:
"Max is the goat and proud of his dawg," one netizen wrote.
"Would’ve been better without McLarens meddling 🤷♂️," another netizen wrote.
"Unforgettable," another netizen shared.
Max Verstappen rounds out his 2025 campaign as the runner-up, two points behind Norris.
Zak Brown admits Max Verstappen is a tough guy to beat
Max Verstappen is a force to be reckoned with on the F1 grid. The Dutchman scored the most race wins this season and was a tough driver to beat throughout the course of the 24 race weekends.
Even McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown, was aware of Verstappen's excellence behind the wheel of a racecar, and reflected on how difficult it was to beat him out to the title in a post-race interview:
"I am unbelievably proud of the team. I am unbelievably proud of the drivers, we allowed them to race until the end. This Max guy, is hard to beat. Its so well deserved for everyone."
Meanwhile, Verstappen will now focus on maximizing his chances with Red Bull for the 2026 F1 season.
