Max Verstappen F1 News: Red Bull star slammed as ‘biggest underachiever’ in SCATHING 2024 season review

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Mexico, Mexican Grand Prix, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen slammed as ‘biggest underachiever’ in SCATHING 2024 F1 season review

Despite being crowned 2024 F1 champion, Max Verstappen has been dealt a huge blow

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 13 December 2024 22:54

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has been labelled the 'biggest underachiever' following the conclusion of a chaotic year on track.

The 2024 season presented the grid with the longest calendar in the sport's history, with the 24th and final race taking place in Abu Dhabi last weekend.

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The Dutchman only managed a sixth-place finish at the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit, and thanks to a DNF from struggling team-mate Sergio Perez, Red Bull were condemned to a third-place finish in the constructors' standings.

McLaren stormed to their first team title since 1998 thanks to a stunning victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from star driver Lando Norris.

Throughout 2024, Norris and Verstappen maintained a fierce rivalry, with penalty controversies and a title battle that lasted into the closing stages of the season.

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were embroiled in a title battle earlier in 2024

Despite claiming his fourth F1 championship, Max Verstappen hit a rough patch over the summer

Verstappen handed dire championship verdict

Although the Dutchman was able to fight off Norris and maintain a healthy gap over the British star, he did experience an uncharacteristically long winless streak from June until November, going 10 races without a victory.

In new research conducted by Betway, the 27-year-old racer has been handed a further blow over his 2024 performance.

The study found that Verstappen and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton were the biggest underachievers in the 2024 F1 season based on their final points total in the drivers' championship, compared to what the drivers were initially forecast to achieve in points at the beginning of the season.

The predictive model produced forecasted how the drivers and teams on the grid would perform over the 2024 campaign based on a range of factors including previous season performances and car quality. The model then simulated the season 10,000 times with the results aggregated into a final table, as displayed below.

Betway's latest study produced a table of underachievers across the 2024 F1 season

It was no secret that British icon Hamilton endured a nightmare final season with Mercedes ahead of his team switch to Ferrari, the 39-year-old predicted to earn 298 points across the year, but only managing 223.

After dominating the sport across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, expectations for the Dutchman were sky-high heading into this year, his predicted points set at 542, yet only scoring 437 in reality, making him the biggest underachiever with a 105-point difference.

One driver who surprised the paddock by overachieving was Lando Norris, who earned 172 points more than predicted, sending a warning to Verstappen to watch his back in 2025.

Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Sergio Perez