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For the last couple of years, Max Verstappen partnered with the surgical prowess of Red Bull Racing and blended surgical racecraft and raw pace to dominate the Formula One scene. These days, Verstappen seems no less than invincible. However, this unpredictability of Formula One makes it a renowned game of surprises. In history, the most dominant forces and dynasties have managed to crumble at the drop of a dodge pit stop. As the 2025 season nears, it is important to consider the most reasonable explanations as to why Verstappen would not win yet another championship.
Technical Regulation Shifts
Unlike the Turn 1 of a circuit, the landscape of Formula One is not only determined by the prowess of a driver. Almost every machine is a work of art. While the complete redevelopments of 2026 are on the horizon, some minor changes to the regulations for 2025 could create a Red Bull imbalance. As an example, changes to aerodynamics, ride height, and the number of tires allocated could completely neutralize any other competitors. Verstappen’s competitors will not make the same mistake of underestimating him.
Intensifying Competition
Ferrari and Mercedes have made obvious strides from the sidelines, and growing parts of the maximizing belly of F1 McLaren are finally starting to feast. McLaren seems to have the strongest pulse at the moment, with all the momentum strong in their development. If any of these three drivers find themselves within a whisper of stratospheric dominance, the trio of Lando Norris, Charles LeClerc, and seasoned or rookie George Russell will expect no less of it. Max vs.
Title fights will become just that: fights. A steady stream of challenges over the course of 20+ weekends is much different than inconsistent ones.
Keeping the Engine Running: Mechanical Aspects
Red Bull has been close to flawless for the past few seasons, and while sprints won’t guarantee podium finishes, sustained reliability certainly isn’t a given. Verstappen can lose points if a streak of engine or gearbox faults, multiple botched pit stops, or any combination of the above goes unchecked. On average, a driver will misplace a championship more often due to faulty spark plugs than any human error.
Team Dynamics
The rest of the F1 paddock is a highly political area, even if Verstappen and Red Bull are doing fine. Internal strife, equal cash for parts scandals, and pressure from corporate stakeholders, including the shift in progress the engine partner will undergo for 2026, are all very destabilizing to the team’s dynamic. These off-track conflicts tend to also show themselves on the track and in poor team performance altogether.
Psychological Aspects
With winning comes more pressure. The crown fellows have to retire their titles. They usually lose their poise while they are being dominated. Verstappen is a pretty good example. Cutting out the pieces of the past that the sport can visit, we can see the presence of legends such as Hamilton, Vettel, or Schumacher and the issues surrounding them.
The punishing travels and rigorous schedules could explain why Max shows moments of weakness.
The Competition
At its most basic level, though, Formula One is still a form of theater, and as such, there are always going to be some variables that are hard to predict. The weather might change, a random safety car might be deployed, there might be some blockages in the first corner, and there is always some amount of random luck to racing that could all change the scenarios. A season of racing doesn’t need a dozen bad turns; just a few that are poorly timed are enough to separate a champion from a runner-up. Verstappen is talented enough to make sure the bad luck doesn’t hurt his racing too much, but everyone else just doesn’t have the luxury of being able to stomp that bad luck.
It is a risky question to doubt that Verstappen would win, but it is a pastime that a lot of people have. History shows that every dynasty has its moment of stumbling. This could be due to some internal issues. a technical shift, or the rise of some new opponents that make the 2025 campaign interesting and unexpected. Max’s reign could be one of the fundamentals, and his downfall would not come from a lack of skill but from the beautiful and messy variables that come with Formula One and make it the sport that it is.
At the end of the day, racing is an unscripted sport, regardless of how many trophies one man has.
