The dust has finally settled on the 2025 Formula 1 season, and if your heart rate has returned to normal, you’re one of the lucky ones. We just witnessed one of the most intense, grueling, and statistically improbable championships in the history of the sport. A season spanning 24 races across the globe was ultimately decided by a margin so razor-thin—just two points—that it forces us to look back at every single lap, every pit stop, and every split-second decision with a magnifying glass.

While the history books will record the winner, for Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, the winter break will be haunted by the specter of “what if.” Both drivers were worthy of the crown, delivering performances that were nothing short of heroic. Yet, in a campaign defined by fine margins, they both fell agonizingly short. The narrative isn’t just about who won; it’s about the specific, painful moments where the title slipped through their fingers.

The Dutch Lion’s Rare Stumbles

For Max Verstappen, a driver who has become synonymous with robotic consistency, the 2025 season exposed a rare vulnerability: human emotion. The narrative that Verstappen only lost because of the car isn’t entirely accurate. Yes, the Red Bull RB21 struggled mid-season, but there were points left on the table by the driver himself.

The first crack in the armor appeared in Spain. It was a classic case of the “red mist” descending. In a situation where a calm head could have salvaged a P5 finish, frustration took the wheel. Verstappen, perhaps overcompensating for a car that wasn’t behaving, pushed beyond the limit and tumbled down to P10. In a championship decided by a mere brace of points, that swing was catastrophic. It highlighted a recurring theme: when Verstappen feels he isn’t the master of his own destiny—whether due to strategy or machinery—composure can sometimes desert him.

Then came the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a track that usually rewards bravery. In treacherous wet conditions, we saw a rare, uncharacteristic error from the Dutchman. spinning on a safety car restart. It dropped him from a likely second place down to fifth. These weren’t mechanical failures; they were moments where the driver, usually a machine of precision, proved mortal.

However, to place the blame entirely on Max’s shoulders would be unfair. The reality is that for a massive chunk of the season, Red Bull was simply lost. The development war is where championships are often won or lost, and mid-season, McLaren simply out-developed them. The car wasn’t competitive, leaving Verstappen to fight with one hand tied behind his back.

And then, there was the sheer bad luck. The DNF in Austria, caused by a collision with the rookie sensation Antonelli, was completely out of his hands. He wasn’t going to win that race, but the lost points were massive. Similarly, a poorly timed Virtual Safety Car (VSC) in Mexico cost him three crucial points. When you lose the title by two, those three points in Mexico City feel like a dagger to the heart.

Piastri’s “Championship to Lose”

If Verstappen’s story is one of fighting against a fading machine, Oscar Piastri’s season feels like a tragedy of unfulfilled potential. In many ways, this was Piastri’s championship to lose—and unfortunately, he did. With the McLaren proving to be the fastest car for the majority of the year, the young Australian had the tools to conquer the world. But consistency, the hallmark of champions, eluded him at critical junctures.

The haunting began early in Australia. Losing the rear in the rain at his home Grand Prix turned a podium finish into a P9 slog. That single mistake cost him 16 points. In hindsight, that afternoon in Melbourne looms large over the final standings. It was a stark reminder that even the brightest talents are susceptible to pressure on home soil.

But it wasn’t just driving errors; the internal politics at McLaren played a massive role. The “Papaya Rules” became a buzzword for frustration. At Monza, team orders and a refusal to prioritize the lead driver cost Piastri three points—a tally that would have been enough to change the championship outcome. Later in Singapore, the friction with his teammate Lando Norris reached a boiling point, with on-track battles that surely cost the team optimal results.

The season’s low point, however, was undoubtedly Baku. It was a nightmare weekend where everything that could go wrong, did. A DNF, zero points, and a shattered confidence level left him reeling. This kicked off a “hemorrhaging” of points that defined the latter third of his season. The crash in the Austin Sprint—taking out his own teammate—was a disaster, followed by a botched strategy in Qatar that stripped him of a win.

Critically, Piastri suffered a catastrophic loss of pace from Singapore through to Qatar. While Verstappen was maximizing a slow car, Piastri was struggling to extract performance from a fast one. That drop in form, more than any single crash, was the nail in the coffin.

The Cruel Math of Formula 1

As we look toward 2026, the lessons of 2025 are clear. In a 24-race calendar, you cannot afford “off weekends.” Verstappen’s title defense was undone by a team that couldn’t keep up with development and a few moments of hot-headedness. Piastri’s challenge collapsed under the weight of unforced errors and a late-season form slump.

The beauty of this sport lies in its brutality. Three different drivers battled for the crown, showcasing different strengths and exposing different weaknesses. The ebb and flow of the season provided drama that no scriptwriter could dream up. But for Max and Oscar, the winter will be long. They will replay the spin in the rain, the ill-timed overtake, and the strategy call that went wrong.

They were both worthy. They both drove like titans. But in the end, the math of Formula 1 is unforgiving. Two points. That’s the difference between immortality and being the “first of the losers.” As the engines fire up for 2026, one thing is certain: they won’t make the same mistakes again.