After dominant runs to titles number two and three in 2022/23, Verstappen and Red Bull saw their stranglehold on F1’s ground-effect era fizzle out last season, with McLaren claiming their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998, as their driver Lando Norris threatened to derail Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship charge.
Verstappen ultimately held firm, an iconic wet-weather drive to victory in Brazil effectively sealing his fourth World Championship in a row with the Dutchman completing the job next time out in Las Vegas.
But F1 2025 now looms and hopes are high for an all-time classic season, as Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all go into the campaign harbouring title ambitions.
However, Verstappen had a rather blunt verdict to share on his F1 competition compared to his other passion of virtual racing.
In his free time – including on some F1 race weekends – Verstappen can be seen competing on the sim racing scene, and he has claimed that the “competition” he faces there is perhaps even stronger than in real life.
“Everyone always thinks that it’s just a game and it’s fun, easy going,” Verstappen began, when speaking to The Athletic, “but I would say the competition is just as hard, or even harder, to nail — to win — than in real life.”
And realising the level of talent he was coming up against, Verstappen’s passion for the virtual racing world slowly grew.
“I did it for a little bit, and then I realised, ‘Okay, this is actually a lot of fun when I’m surrounded by really good drivers, and I want to try and be good at it as well,” said Verstappen, a part of Team Redline.
“And then, step by step, you get the right gear, you get the right advice from the drivers (on) how to build up your sim, what you need. That was definitely very helpful.
“I keep myself busy with doing the same thing as in real life, working on setup, strategy, racing, pit stops, all these kinds of things. It is becoming more and more professional every single year.”
And the real-life racing action is almost back upon us, with the F1 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix taking place on March 16.
Norris goes into the new season fancied by many as the greatest threat to Verstappen in his push for a fifth straight title, and the Brit believes a “smart”, rather than “special” approach will be his best tactic for dethroning the Dutchman.
“I need to get my elbows out and I need to show him that I’m not going to willingly give him any positions, those kind of things,” said Norris, as per Sky F1.
“But I also have to be a smart driver. You have to be a smart driver to go up against Max. We saw it last year.
“I look forward to [more battles with Verstappen]. I like those moments when you have to make those quick decisions.
“It’s always a lot harder when you’re in the car than when you rewatch it after. Even when I see some things that I do, I’m like: ‘What the hell have I done? What an idiot.’
“But at the same time, I want to say that I don’t need to go out and just prove something to him.
“I don’t need to take any unnecessary risks and don’t need to go down trying necessarily. I just keep focusing on myself.
“I don’t think you have to do anything special to try and beat Max.
“He’s quick, he’s aggressive, he’s one of the best ever.
“The easy way is just going out and being a bit quicker than him and staying ahead. That’s the obvious plan.
“You’ve just got to be smart. That’s the answer to it all.
“You have to be smart and you have to position the car well and also think of the long game sometimes.”
