Max Verstappen‘s keeping it real about the upcoming 2025 Formula 1 season – he’s not making any big predictions just yet.
The four-time world champion isn’t even claiming favorite status, even after his dominant 2024 campaign. That title seems to belong to McLaren right now, fresh off their Constructors’ Championship win.
“Sure, they were very strong after the first seven races,” Verstappen said about McLaren. “And if they know what they’re doing, they should have a very strong season again.”
But there’s more on Verstappen’s mind than just team rankings. He’s got some friendly advice for his pal Lando Norris, who’s known for being pretty hard on himself when things don’t go perfectly.
The McLaren driver’s going to need rock-solid consistency in 2025. The field’s looking tighter than ever, and there’s zero room for the kind of mistakes that cost him last season.
A Dutch journalist brought up how Verstappen managed to snag the championship even without having the best car on the grid – something that came at Norris’s expense.
When the same journalist tried to dismiss Norris’s claims about proving himself in 2024, Verstappen jumped to his friend’s defense.
“You have to stay positive about yourself, you shouldn’t start slagging yourself off,” Verstappen said, showing some real support for his fellow driver.
The defending champ’s pretty content with his own performance last year. “I am happy how I performed last year,” he said simply.
With the RB21 still waiting for its first real track time, there’s plenty of uncertainty ahead. But one thing’s clear – the 2025 season’s shaping up to be seriously competitive.
