Max Verstappen gave his all during the final race of the 2025 F1 season in Abu Dhabi, clenching the race win, but seeing his fifth championship slip away by just 2 points. After losing the title to McLaren’s Lando Norris, the Red Bull Racing driver saw immense support from fans. His fighting spirit, which helped him make an admirable comeback in the second half of this season, gives fans hope for him to soon win his fifth World Drivers’ Championship.
Fans react to Max Verstappen losing F1 title by the smallest margin
In an epic battle for the F1 World Drivers’ Championship, which came down to the results of the final race, Verstappen lost the title to Lando Norris by just 2 points. The final race saw Norris, Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri all having a chance to win the Drivers’ Championship. However, the odds favored Norris, who successfully crossed the finish line in third place. Piastri finished second, after overtaking Norris early on. Nevertheless, the Aussie couldn’t seem to match Verstappen’s pace, who finished first, 12.594 seconds ahead of the Australian driver.
After Verstappen’s championship loss by such a tiny margin, fans flooded social media with support for the driver. They praised his efforts in making up for a 104-point deficit during the second half of the season.
A user on X posted an image of the driver getting out of his car after the Abu Dhabi race win, with the caption, “The streets won’t forget 2025 Max Verstappen.” One fan commented, “They can have the trophy tonight, but the streets will forever remember who the real king of this era is. Max Verstappen.” In the caption of another X post, a user wrote, “Driving inferior machinery and still brought it to Abu Dhabi, absolute legend and greatest of all time. The sun will shine again.”
Heading into the final race, Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri stood at 408, 396, and 392 points, respectively. This meant Norris would secure the title with any podium finish. After an intense qualifying session on Saturday, Verstappen started on pole position on Sunday. Norris started second, and Piastri was third on the grid. However, with all three drivers using different strategies, Verstappen maintained his lead to win the race. Meanwhile, Piastri overtook Norris early on to claim second place. This led to Norris’ championship win with 423 points over Verstappen’s 421 points.
