Max Verstappen says he is heading into the off-season on a high despite seeing the world championship slip away from him by just two points in the final race.

The Red Bull driver says he is encouraged by the improvements his team made over the second half of the year. They began the season at a disadvantage to rivals McLaren: Verstappen won the previous championship despite a dip in form which saw him take just two wins from the last 14 grands prix.

Speaking after ending the 2025 season with his third grand prix win in a row, Verstappen said: “I’m sitting here now with probably a better feeling than I had last year at this time because the second half of last year was pretty tricky at times.

“We have been struggling for, I would say, a year – the second half of last year and the first half of this year. But I actually feel a lot better now.

“Of course it’s a shame to miss out on the title. But at the same time, for a long period of time I was not even thinking about the title. I never felt like I was in it until a few rounds ago. That’s pretty crazy.

“You take your pride in different ways. I’m happy with myself and going into next year I’m not in a state of having to worry about my skills or whatever. So I feel good.”

Despite having missed out on winning the title by such a narrow margin, Verstappen says he isn’t agonising over where he might have done better.

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“I have no regrets about my season,” he said. “I think the performance has been strong.”

Following his difficult start to 2025, Verstappen ended the year with more wins than any other driver. He admitted he’s had a love-hate relationship with his RB21.

“I’ve hated this car at times, but I’ve also loved it at times,” he said. “I always tried to extract the most from it, even in the difficult weekends that we’ve had. But it’s been a proper rollercoaster with the car.

“Luckily, the last, I would say, eight or nine rounds in general have been a lot more enjoyable. And also, in the team, we have a great atmosphere at the moment. We’re really on a roll — positive energy, belief, confidence — and that’s exactly what you want heading into next year.”

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