I no longer believe that I can win the championship
In the bustling world of Formula 1, where every turn can be a potential turning point, Max Verstappen has exploded a bomb that broke the hearts of millions of fans. The four-fold world champion, who dominated the sport for years with an unstoppable Red Bull car, gave an answer in an interview after the Singapore Grand Prix that sounded like a definitive capitulation. “I no longer believe that I can win the championship,” he said with a sigh, his eyes focused on the horizon of a season that once started with promise. The words hung heavily in the air, as exhaust gases on a stopped circuit. F1 fans all over the world were paralyzed, their breath stopped in the throat, while the reality of a possible fifth title seemed to go up in smoke.
It was during the press conference after the race in Singapore, on October 6, 2025, that the question arose. A journalist, armed with the eternal hope of the sports press, asked for his chances in the final phase of the season. Verstappen, normally a master in dosing emotions and expectations, hesitated for a moment. His face, drawn by the fatigue of a debilitating year, betrayed a rare vulnerability. “You have to win for the title, and that doesn’t work consistent enough,” he replied. “The gap is too big, and everything has to go perfectly – not only with us, but also with the competition there must be bad luck. I don’t think that is realistic.” It was not a joke, none of his characteristic dry humor. It was a confession, raw and unfiltered, which caused the entire paddock.
To understand the seriousness, we must look back on a season that was anything but the script for Verstappen that he and Red Bull had written. The 2025 championship started with high expectations. After four consecutive titles, the Dutchman seemed unbeatable. But McLaren, with the young wolves Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the wheel, threw a spanner in the works. Piastri, the Australian sensation, took the lead in the championship early in the season and defended it with verve. Norris, his British teammate, lurked in second place, a shadow that Verstappen could not shake off. Red Bull, which was once synonymous with dominance, struggled with a car that no longer had the sharpness of the past. Aerodynamic updates came too late, and internal struggles – rumors about team orders and an absent helmut marko – did not make it any better.
Verstappen himself won only four races this year: Japan, twice Italy and Azerbaijan. Impressive, but not enough to make up for the 63 points behind Piastri. After his back-to-back victories in Monza and Baku, mid-September, the hope flared up. Fans dreamed of an epic comeback, a story for the history books. “I have nothing to lose,” he then joked, with a nod to a ’50 percent ‘chance of the title. But Singapore, a circuit where he never won, became the breaking point. A third place was the maximum, while Piastri and Norris took points. The gorge grew again, and with six races to go – including the crucial Grands Prix in the United States, Mexico and Brazil – the backlog feels like an unbridgeable abyss.
What made this confession extra frightening was the unveiling that followed. Verstappen, never a man of empty promises, spoke about the entire Red Bull team that ‘had to remain silent’. “We all kept our mouths on the problems,” he said cryptically. “There are challenges within the team that we did not want to fight publicly. Strategic mistakes, reliability issues with the engine, and even discussions about the future line-up. We wanted to concentrate on the races, not on the drama. But now, with the title out of reach, it is time to look ahead.” Fans immediately speculated wild: was it about the rumors around Sergio Pérez ‘seat? For the upcoming arrival of Liam Lawson? Or dieper conflicts with team boss Christian Horner, whose leadership has been under fire since a series of moderate performance in the constructors’ championship?
The response of the F1 community was immediately and heartbreaking. On social media, Hashtags exploded such as #verstappenout and #redbull crisis. In the Netherlands, where Verstappen is a national hero, flags hung half -mast in Zandvoort, the track where he triumphs every year. “This is like a knife,” tweeted a fan from Eindhoven. “Max deserves better than this.” Even Rivals showed compassion. Lando Norris, who now has a serious chance of his first title, said: “Max is a champion in heart and soul. This season has been tough, but he is fighting.” Oscar Piastri, the undisputed leader, added: “I respect him enormously. The title is not yet inside, but it feels bittersweet when he gives up.”
Yet Verstappen is not completely broken. In a rare moment of optimism, he hinted on 2026, the year of the new regulations. “This is a wake-up call for Red Bull. We have to innovate, train harder. I drive for fun, for the victories, not just for the crown.” His GT3 debut on the Nürburgring, where he triumphed among the F1 weekends, underlined that: a reminder of his passion for racing pur sang. But for now a shadow hangs over the team. Red Bull must remain silent, regroup internally, while McLaren welcomes. The fans? They keep hoping, because in Formula 1 nothing is ever final. A safety car, a pit stop error, a moment of genius – it can all change. But at the moment, with Verstappen’s words still rejecting, the title feels like a distant dream.
The interview ended with a silence, a vacuum that filled the press room. Verstappen stood up, shook hands and walked away, his shoulders bent something. Outside the engines went through, a symphony of speed that once crowned him as king. Now he is a prince in exile, waiting at his moment. This is a warning for the F1 world: even giants can fall. And for Max? It is the start of a new chapter, one full of fire and determination. Because believe it or not, the champion is still burning in his heart.
