Painful comparison for Verstappen since last year: Dutchman sees points go up in smoke
Marnik Kok caught the Formula 1 world around twenty years ago. A deep passion for motorsport, Ferrari, and a background in journalism led him to contribute to various (international) F1 platforms. Since 2020, Marnik has been active as an editor and journalist in the pinnacle of motorsport for several media outlets, including De Telegraaf. As of 2025, he brings that experience to GPblog as a seasoned editor.
During his active years as a journalist — now working as a freelancer — Marnik attended numerous events, with the Dutch Grand Prix standing out as one of the highlights. In addition to his work at GPblog, Marnik is also active in the communications sector at a major national provider and steps in wherever needed. Sitting still is not an option — especially not in motorsport!
That Max Verstappen and Red Bull are having a bad year has not escaped anyone's notice. Last Formula 1 season, the Dutchman already faced stiff competition from McLaren. The British team won the constructors' title, but Verstappen took his fourth world title. Looking back at the figures halfway through the season, 'pain' is the right description.
The 2024 Formula 1 season started out very well for Verstappen. He won five of the first seven races and set a good lead right away. It turned out to be necessary, as towards the end of the season, McLaren had caught up and passed Red Bull Racing. After the summer break, halfway through the season, Verstappen only won two more races. However, he was still occasionally on the podium.
The rest of the victories went to the biggest competitors: McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. The strong start of the season saved Verstappen's championship in 2024, where he eventually became champion with 437 World Championship points. The number two? Lando Norris, with 374 points.
Huge change at Red Bull in 2025
Towards the end of 2024 and especially in 2025, the major problems at Red Bull became more dire. Now, the competitors are faster, CEO Christian Horner has had to step down, and Verstappen has scored almost all the points for the team. After the British Grand Prix, he has 165 points, compared to 234 points from the championship leader, Oscar Piastri.
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For comparison: Verstappen had, after the 2024 British Grand Prix, gathered 255 points, with Lando Norris (171) and Charles Leclerc (150) behind. A year later, we see an incredible difference. Instead of the 225 points, Verstappen has managed to achieve 165 points in a Red Bull that has not been performing well this season. The difference seems small, but it puts him in third place.
The difference to McLaren halfway through the F1 season
The difference from Verstappen to Piastri (234 points) and Norris (226 points) is already significant. Last year, McLaren managed to turn things around in the second half of the season and fight back, but with the recent words from Verstappen and Red Bull, the championship has been given up. An upgrade package is still forthcoming, but it appears that not much remains in it.
The turnaround of McLaren last year will not be in for Red Bull - unless something very unexpected happens. On paper, it can be done, but with the chaos in Verstappen's team, everyone knows better.
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