Max Verstappen response speaks volumes after F1 rival apologised for his title defeat | F1 | Sport
Max Verstappen told Kimi Antonelli that there were ‘no hard feelings’ between the two drivers after the Mercedes rookie ventured to apologise to the four-time world champion after he narrowly missed out on the Drivers’ Championship crown.
Verstappen ended the season just two points behind eventual champion Lando Norris after clinching his third straight Grand Prix victory in Abu Dhabi to end the year. Looking back at the Red Bull driver’s season, there are several key flashpoints that the 28-year-old can look back on and rue missed opportunities.
One such moment came in Austria, where Verstappen was taken out in a heavy opening-lap crash after Antonelli misjudged his braking point on the approach to Turn Three. Later in the year, at the penultimate round in Qatar, the Italian teenager made a mistake while defending from Norris, handing fourth place to the McLaren driver with less than two laps to go.
After watching his close friend and mentor miss out on the crown, Antonelli felt at least somewhat responsible. He approached Verstappen in the media pen and said: “I’m really sorry,” to which the Red Bull driver replied: “Mate, don’t be. It’s all good. No hard feelings,” while embracing the Mercedes rookie.
Later, in the post-race press conference, Verstappen was asked about another flashpoint in his season. At the Spanish Grand Prix back in June, he made contact with George Russell in a ‘red-mist’ moment that he has since reflected on and expressed regret over.
The 10-second time penalty he received that day cost him a double-figure points haul, which, in hindsight, would have made him world champion, had he avoided the incident. When asked about the Russell incident on Sunday, he didn’t appreciate the line of questioning.
“You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season,” Verstappen snapped in response. “The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that would come. Yep… You’re giving me a stupid grin now.
“It’s part of racing at the end. You live and learn. The championship is won over 24 rounds. I’ve also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me (by McLaren) in the second half. So you can also question that.”
All things considered, though, Verstappen’s primary emotion heading into the off-season is not regret or frustration, but pride. The 28-year-old took the fight to F1’s dominant team of 2025, ended the year with 10 straight podiums, and was the race win leader in the series. In doing so, he cemented his legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
