F1 champion hands McLaren star BOOST in Max Verstappen title dig

Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 champion hands McLaren star BOOST in Verstappen title dig

Max Verstappen has been handed a dire prediction ahead of the 2025 F1 season

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 12 December 2024 11:59 Updated: 16:20

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A Formula 1 world champion has delivered a dire verdict over Max Verstappen's future in the sport.

The Red Bull star recently secured his fourth consecutive title after enduring a much tougher season on-track than he has become accustomed to in recent years.

F1 HEADLINES: Horner delivers HUGE Perez blow as young Red Bull star announced in 2025 lineup

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The Dutchman finally sealed the 2024 championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix despite a stunning one-two result for Mercedes, with P5 for Verstappen enough for him to be crowned champion.

Throughout 2024 both Verstappen and Red Bull have suffered with the performance of the RB20, and until the 27-year-old stormed to victory at the Brazilian GP in November, he hadn't won a race since June.

His uncharacteristic dip in results was further worsened for Red Bull by the fact that Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez consistently found himself out of the points, often struggling to make it through Q1 during race weekends.

Max Verstappen was crowned F1 2024 champion at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen failed to retain the constructors' title for Red Bull

Verstappen set for fierce 2025 title battle?

Perez's continued run of poor form meant Red Bull were mathematically out of the constructors' title fight heading into the season finale last weekend and, after the Mexican racer DNF'd at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the team had to settle for P3 in the standings.

Verstappen's closest title rival in 2024 was Lando Norris and at times, it looked as if the young Brit had the potential to beat the Dutchman to his first maiden championship.

It wasn't to be, but Norris' stellar drive in Abu Dhabi did earn McLaren their first constructors' title since 1998, proving himself as the team's main man for next season.

Click here to shop the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Constructors' Champions Collection and celebrate McLaren's first title in 26 years.

Lando Norris' stellar driving helped McLaren secure the 2024 constructors' trophy

Speaking on the Sky F1 podcast, 2016 champion Nico Rosberg declared that Norris will be the man to beat in 2025, claiming that Verstappen is already on the back foot.

"Lando now, he’s the favourite for next year to win the championship," Rosberg said.

Queried by Sky podcast host Matt Baker, Rosberg doubled down, declaring: "Yeah why not, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be the favourite right?

"End of this year McLaren was the strongest car, he has been marginally stronger than Piastri within the team so he should be the favourite yeah!

"I mean Verstappen doesn’t have the fastest car… he won two races since May, that’s nuts and two races since May of which one was just Verstappen magic in the rain so only one race really in the dry that he won since May.

"You’re not going to win the world championship in that form next year against Lando Norris."

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix