Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean has added his name to the list.

The fightback during the second half of the 2025 season that saw the Dutchman shrink a 104 points gap down to just 2 at the flag in Abu Dhabi has not go unnoticed by the Frenchman, which he believes has seen Verstappen rise far above his title rival’s reach, who despite his ‘outstanding’ form can’t measure up to the Red Bull Racing driver.

"In 2025, Abu Dhabi was almost the least exciting race of the whole season. But the build-up to Abu Dhabi was amazing," Grosjean said to beIN Sports.

"Max Verstappen, I have got to say it, is this year the outstanding driver of all of them,” he continued. “He didn't have a good car, lost a lot of points and it was a miracle that he came back in the fight in Abu Dhabi. There was no way he should have been in there, and finishing only two points behind Lando Norris is outstanding."

"So that was also a good one. But I would say that, this year, just coming back from so far behind and being so impressive and so consistent and strong… that has been very inspiring for a lot of drivers," Grosjean concluded.

Recent F1 retiree Helmut Marko claimed that if Christian Horner had been dismissed earlier, Max Verstappen would have won the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, arguing Red Bull’s on-track performance would have recovered faster. Read his full statements here.

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