P1 with Matt and Tommy - Max Verstappen: The 2025 Title Contenders

Episode Date: December 3, 2025

On the second of our special episodes looking at our three title contenders, we're turning our attention to the man looking to win his fifth Championship - even if he probably had no right to do so. Dun Dun Dun Dun.... Please vote for us in the Autosport Awards 2026! https://www.autosport.com/awards-voting/You can listen to an extended version of every Race Review episode over on our Patreon! You'll also access to every P1 episode ad-free, early access to tickets & merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now: http://patreon.com/mattp1tommyFollow us on socials! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everybody and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and Tommy. Today is the second episode of our three-part special all about this season's championship contenders. Today it's the man looking to become a five-time world champion, Max Vestappen. Okay, let's head to Max Vestappen. He is 12 points behind the championship leader, Alando Norris, Seven race victories. Japan, Imala, Monsa, Baku, Austin, Vegas, Qatar, his wins with 14 podiums. Max Verstappen.

How is he there? He must be sat here. Oh, he's not sat here. I wish he was sat here. You must be sat there, Tommy. Max must be sat wherever he is, thinking, how am I going into the title decider actually with a shot of winning this world championship? It is, it's been a great.

season from Max. There's been a couple of low lights we'll get into, but a lot of highlights in a car that has been very back and forth, up and down, roller coaster sorts of form. But Max has done a brilliant job this season to maximize most opportunities, I have to say. And that's what's brought him into the championship. Yes, McClawn have made mistakes, but it's always been Max Verstappen ready to take any sort of crumbs that the papaya team want to give. Yeah, definitely. There's two sides. This story, Max Stappen, has been unbelievable this season. You know, he's put in a season where everyone, you know, even his biggest haters are now kind of going, okay, this guy is unbelievable. And he shouldn't be in the title. I do genuinely believe him when he's kind of there on the grid going, I don't think about it too much. We'll just see what happens.

Because I think he is literally in that mindset of, well, I'm not in a car that can win the world championship. and it's only if McLaren are just throwing it and giving it to me and they're doing a pretty good job of that in the last couple of races of course and throughout the season and that's the thing that we've said that you know Max Astapen has been there to pick up the pieces when McLaren have failed but also anytime there's a sniff of victory

he's almost always won the race and that's what he had to do to be any chance of being in this world championship and somehow he is I mean it's genuinely a miracle that he is even in this opportunity at all like not even winning it like aside

it's a miracle that he's even taken it to the last race because this shouldn't have been a title fight with him in it McLaren have got a domicester. as dominant cars we've seen that have wrapped up the title with four or five races to go and you've seen what they've done in the constructors that tells you everything you need to know so he shouldn't be in it but he is yeah max has picked up so many pieces he could build a jigsaw from mcclaren like the amount of times he has been able to snatch a few points here and there

that's what world champions do and that's exactly what max festapen has shown this season and why he is a class above pretty much everybody on the grid. And, you know, I'm saying that as a non-Max Verstappen fan, or I don't know what I am anymore, because we're now at the title decider. I wanted the title decider. You've got it. You've got it now. Oh, my God, I have a dog underneath me.

Hello, Bruno. That scared the life out of me. Right, let's go to what has been Max Verstappen's biggest and best moment of the season. There's definitely highlights to talk about Tommy. I would say that Japan was a moment where I think even you had a bit of a sparkle in your eyes of maybe just maybe maybe Max could pull off something crazy if he can just stay in this championship fight.

You're shaking your head. Shaking my head as in he's not in the title, but it definitely was like, wow, he's done that. Yeah. Yeah, the pessimism, of course. Yeah. But there was, you know, at that time, you were kind of clinging on to the hope of

if they can just get to Spain when they bring the upgrades that's when they might be able to do something pretty awesome I would say where else am I going to lay I mean Austin was a perfect weekend from him clean sweep brought himself somewhat

in the background even though still not close enough to really consider him a championship protagonist fully and then you know, dominating Las Vegas was another one that you have to throw in there. And then, you know, Kata was a McLaren present. So I'm not going to put that as the highest moment. I think Japan, I think beating McLaren when they were in peak form,

and I think probably had the biggest gap, in my opinion, to the rest of the cars. Because McLaren came up the blocks firing. They were, they had an unbelievable car. I think Japan. Japan is probably my sort of best moment for Max this year. it's definitely up there Japan was insane I think that was one of those moments where we started

the season and it felt like Max de Stappen it was all about like can he get podiums and things I think the first race in Australia him finishing second was more the fact that it was a wet race and he I can't believe he almost won that like it was insane because the McLaren

was so so clear and then equally the start of that season we had you know Liam Lawson in the second Red Bull qualifying 20th every race and we just thought this Red Bull is an absolute dog and how is Max Stauffin

even going to be able to get a podium in it so for them to him to win the Japanese Grand Prix was insane Imola I just want to add yeah

I just want to say I can't believe you didn't mention it the move at Imola it feels so long ago it's been a long season it's so long ago but that move at Imola

it's the kind of like this is what you get with Max de Stappen other days he slams into the side of someone and we all go oh he's like a crazy driver it's mad max blah blah blah but yet when he does these moments that work um and a lot of the time it does work with him that's why he's won so many races um it's unbelievable and yes oscar piastri hit the brakes early but no you you cannot tell me anyone else on that grid makes that move um it's um it's it's absolutely sensational. It's a move that

I will remember for the rest of my life in F1. Yeah. I remember it took my breath away. One of the best moments as a Max fan I've ever seen. Yeah, it was one of the best moments as a non-max fan I've ever seen because it was probably the best opening lap move for God knows how many years.

I challenge you to find me a better opening lap move. It was one centimetre away from Mad Max. Oh my God, he's done it again. He's flying over the sausage curbs and things like that. But it wasn't. It was a perfect move. And yeah, that's definitely up there as one of the best moments of the season. I guess I was thinking more of races.

Other moments, obviously, it's just the fact that he's been able to mount this comeback. I think you can package that as almost like an entire moment that he was 104 points behind. And he needed to be perfect. And I guess he hasn't been, but he's come very close. You know, first, first, second, third, third, first. It's crazy what he's managed to do. when, yeah, he shouldn't have been anywhere near this. Like, he should be 100 points behind still in the championship

with the machinery's got, if not further. So, yeah, it's been a mad season for Max. Yeah, Max hasn't been off the podium since Hungary, but he was off the podium quite a few times in the first half of the year. So just shows how much he has stepped up in this second half of the season. What's been the worst moment of Max Verstappen's season, Tommy? well this may surprise you because i know which one yours is and we'll talk about it later um but mine for me is is brazil um well okay worst worst moment is spain actually of course it's spain

um i was thinking about the next question spain is definitely the worst moment for maxa sapon uh it was a moment of rage i think he's very lucky that he didn't receive more i understand why he was absolutely fuming at the situation because there was so much tension going on in that team with the Christian Horner stuff, the fact that his own team had messed up the strategy which put him in that situation, he banged with Leclair, George Russell overtook him illegally and his team were telling him he needed to let him through, which wound him up even more. And it was just basically a series of moments for a driver that gets very hot-headed anyway and has these moments of rage and yeah it was his poorest moment one of if not the

biggest in his whole career as a driver to crash deliberately like that it genuinely felt like he thought he was still like doing eye racing or something because he was so mad like sore red and yeah just slammed into the side of Russell and of course we didn't know that would mean anything at the time of course did we because he was so far far, so far out of it. No, we didn't know, but I guarantee we spoke about it at the time of, well, he better not lose the title by nine points. And he might well lose the title by nine or less points.

Of course, mine is Spain. For a second, I couldn't even believe you were going to say there was a worse moment for Max this year. Of course, you're probably more talking about where he might have lost the title. Yeah. But for worse moment, yeah, Spain, the fact that he was. was just uncontrollable in that moment. You know, to send it into the side of George Russell was unforgivable.

I am also of the opinion that I'm surprised that he got away with what he did, which was, I think it was a 10-second penalty, wasn't it? I think it was just a 10-second. It was 10 seconds, which still got a point. Obviously, the field was bunched up because of a safety car. So it obviously... Yeah, when he realistically used his car as a weapon. But Max, even Max himself has reflected on it.

said that it was something he regrets, which you do not get out. That's when you know it's a bad moment when even Max admits. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, that definitely is the worst moment of the year for me. Now, what moment could be the thing that costs him the title? Now, Tommy, you think you know what I'm going to say, but no, I know. You don't know what I'm going to say because we are actually different people despite agreeing quite a lot of the time. The moment where Max Verstappen lost the title was Austria.

The only time that he has retired was, or is Austria. Every other time he has finished the race, I'm not saying it's his fault, but when we're talking about big moments in the championship where Max could have scored a decent amount of points, third, fourth, fifth, there was definitely a good amount of points on the table. That's it. that's the only sort of blemish on his season long record apart from Spain that we've spoken about, which of course is also a factor, definitely.

And then Hungary being the place where he finished P9. But for me, I'm going to say Austria, you know, he's unlucky. And it's Kimmy Antonelli, but I'm not blaming Kimi Antonelli. It's just something that happens. And yeah, that's cost him an opportunity to be pretty much level on points with Lando going into Abu Dhabi. interesting uh yeah i don't uh yeah for me the moment he lost the title was when mcclaren built their car and red bull built their car um because at the end of the day that i love you were ferociously shaking your head at the fact that he lost those opponents at austria well your answer is when

they built the car well that's true it's true like that is when they lost the title because they've not had a competitive car enough and i completely agree with him that he shouldn't be in this title race, and even if he wins the title in Abu Dhabi, it's obviously a slim chance, but even if he wins it, for me, it's more that McLaren have lost it because of how many points they've thrown away. The Red Bull should not be anywhere near them, and Max has been absolutely brilliant, but it's cost him the title because he hasn't had a car to compete with the McLaren's enough. you know, Hungary, nowhere, Miami, China, all these races where he couldn't compete,

where McClara had been quicker every single race and obviously they've thrown points. I will throw Brazil into the mix because this is my biggest argument to Austria and Spain, right? And it depends how you look at it because I understand that you can look at the end of the year and there will be people and some people will say that it's copium for me that I'm like, oh, you can't really say that. Because I understand why some people believe that is the case. But when these kind of things happen in June, May, June, whatever, you can't, like, you never know how the title is going to go, whereas when it gets later on into the season,

you're driving with the championship in mind and kind of knowing a bit more what's going to happen. and for me, so that is why I'm like more gutted about Brazil, two sides to it. One, the pit stop, which again, like, they shouldn't have pitted because they had to roll the dice and try something different. Yeah, probably would have finished second. But at that point, you're basically giving the title to Lando Norris without trying to stay out and block him and try and do everything to win this world championship. Because they did have an opportunity then to do it, which is why I consider it more. and also the fact that it went so wrong for them in the qualifying that he started so low down anyway

because had he started even into like Q2 in like 10th or something probably winning the race or who knows because he had so much pace or at least if he's if he's starting at the start like higher up the grid and doing a decent qualifying they had the best package in the race to win that race they did whack a new engine as well though which would have yeah yeah true but I do think that Max could have won that race anyway or at least got, you know, been challenging for it

because I don't think, again, McLaren, maximise their strategy. So Brazil is a tough one, but it's a weird answer, but I'm sticking to it that the moment they, the thing that's costing him the title is that he hasn't had a car to compete. Because Max is so perfect. Well, it's Tommy, he's not. He's not, though. Tommy, give me a moment when Max lost the title. You can't cop out and say Red Bull didn't build him a car and Max is perfect. I wasn't saying Max is perfect. No, well, that's the way it comes across kind of

is the fact that you're saying it's the car and not Max. Brazil. So Brazil. Okay, so you're blaming the strategy team. All right, I see you. No, no, because Max didn't make it through either, did he into the session? True, yeah. You can twist my words.

Just saying how it comes across to me, my darling, my darling. You did, you did. It's still heavily biased as I am for Charlotte Claire. Of course. Right. Percentage. The big percentage. The percentage we've been asking you for the entirety of the season.

We're now incorporating it into this wonderful podcast. I'm going to lock mine in first that the percentage likelihood of him winning the title is 25%. That is my number. Tommy, over to you. So I've thought more about this after the excitement. And you'll be shocked to hear it's gone down. Oh, what a surprise. 10%.

10% I think it's quite, I was looking, so like, obviously the excitement of him making it to the final race, I was incredibly excited. But looking where Lando needs to finish now, it would require like a failure, an engine failure or something. Just a failure from McLaren, mate. It finishes exactly the same. order as Qatar and Max is the world champion. But let's not forget Max finished way off of, like, Abu Dhabi last year Lando was like exceptional McLaren. It's one of Lando's best circuits.

McLaren are very good around there. I do think there's a chance. But Lando has to get it over the line to win his first world championship. If I'm going to be a glass half full, it could be quite exciting. No, it will be exciting because like he can do it. Like he can do it. Oscar can do it. There's so many scenarios, as I mentioned.

Like they could collide. And Max is going to go for everything. But he needs to somehow win the race and yet Lando finished down the order. It's almost like that Lewis Hamilton situation in 2016 where he backs up the entire field to try and shift Ross Begg down the order. Because the reason it's so low,

the reason it's so low is because I just don't see a scenario where Lando isn't on the podium in Abu Dhabi because it's such a good track of us. Just like you must have never seen a scenario. where Lambeau didn't finish on the podium in Qatar or get disqualified in Las Vegas. McLaren can't square it up every race. It can't do it for the final one, surely. Zach Brown is so famously saying that he wants Max to beat them rather than them beating themselves.

And it's like, well, I think you're giving it to Max currently. So yeah, let's see. All right, 10% is ridiculous. But here we are. Are you surprised? Absolutely not. Thanks so much, everybody, for joining us. us again. We'll be back tomorrow with the final episode of this little series talking about

the man currently in pole position to secure his first ever championship title. It's of course Lando Norris. See you then.