"18 More Points Than Last Year" – Verstappen Relishes P2 Result

Verstappen’s Risky Call Pays Off with Hard-Fought P2 Finish

16/03/2025

Despite tough conditions and a daring strategy, Max Verstappen secured P2 in Melbourne, keeping his title hopes alive despite Red Bull’s struggles.

Last year in Melbourne, Max Verstappen didn’t even finish the race. This time, he came close to victory, defying the odds with a less competitive Red Bull and challenging conditions.

The Dutch driver was right on Lando Norris’ tail in the final lap, within DRS range. But this time, the McLaren driver held his nerve under pressure.

Disappointed? Not Really.

For the first time in over 1,000 days, Verstappen is no longer leading the championship. Does that bother him?

“Not really, to be honest. I just tried my best, stayed close, and put some pressure on, but overtaking here is really tough. There was only one racing line.”

Could he have overtaken Norris on that final lap?

“Even if I had lined up an attack into Turn 9, I would’ve had to go onto the wet part of the track, so there wasn’t much I could do. But at least it was close—it must have been exciting to watch on TV.”

A Bold Strategy Call in the Rain

Before the final safety car, Verstappen and Red Bull made a daring strategy call when rain returned in the second half of the race—staying out longer on slick tires.

“It was actually two extra laps! We were on Mediums, and you never know how things will play out. But I thought it was a reasonable call with 15, 16, or even 20 laps to go when the safety car came out. Then, of course, the rain started falling. I saw Lando and Oscar make mistakes in front of me, but I managed to keep it clean. When I saw Oscar rejoining the track, I thought, ‘Okay, let’s stay out—it’s only three wet corners, the rest is still dry.’”

“The first two sectors were still good—I just had to survive the final sector. I believed it could work. Even if the others caught up on intermediates, they’d still need to pit again for slicks if the rain didn’t get worse. So, it was worth a shot. I went for another lap, but unfortunately, the second sector became too wet, and we had to pit.”

“Looking back, it wouldn’t have changed anything. If I had pitted at the same time as Lando, I’d still be second. If I had waited another lap, I’d still be second. And in the end, when I did pit, I was still second. We took a chance—it could have worked. In a way, it didn’t, but we didn’t lose anything, so it’s fine.”

A Strong Podium Despite Lack of Pace

Given Red Bull’s struggles, Verstappen was prepared for a tougher result—perhaps P5 or P6. Instead, he managed to secure a crucial second place, minimizing the damage in the championship.

“I think this is a good result compared to the teams behind us. But looking at the first stint, we were struggling. As soon as the tires started overheating, we had no chance. McLaren just pulled away. We still have a lot of work to do if we want to fight for wins.”

“But yeah, I’m happy with P2 here. It’s one place better than we deserved, and it’s 18 more points than I scored here last year (when he retired with an engine failure).”

A tough weekend, a bold strategy, and a hard-fought podium—Verstappen may not have won, but he made the most of it.

Verstappen’s Risky Call Pays Off with Hard-Fought P2 Finish. Despite tough conditions and a daring strategy, Max Verstappen secured P2 in Melbourne, keeping his title hopes alive despite Red Bull’s struggles.

“18 More Points Than Last Year” – Verstappen Relishes P2 Result “18 More Points Than Last Year” – Verstappen Relishes P2 Result

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Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
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22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
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23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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