Max Verstappen has summed up the loss of his world championship crown to Lando Norris by drawing a brilliant comparison to pregnancy.
The Red Bull driver missed out on a record-equalling fifth consecutive world title by just two points to McLaren's Norris.
It marked a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the season for Verstappen, who had trailed the championship leader by 104 points at the start of September.
However, the Dutchman won six of the remaining nine Grand Prix races to nearly snatch the world title from McLaren.
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Despite a nervy final race in Abu Dhabi, Norris held on to secure his maiden world championship and McLaren's first Drivers' title since 2008.
The result denied Verstappen one of the most remarkable comebacks in history, but there was still plenty of encouragement for him to take from the campaign.
Although it brought an end to his 1,456-day reign as world champion, Verstappen described 2025 as the best season of his career.
He reiterated that view in a recent interview with Viaplay, saying: “I think we can be happy that we were even able to fight for the championship,
“First of all, we were never actually leading the standings. We also received plenty of gifts ourselves.
"Then, in the end, you win the race in Las Vegas, and my teammate was disqualified there, otherwise you wouldn’t even be in the picture.
“Of course, we benefited from that as well. And in the end it comes down to two points.
"But it doesn’t really matter whether it’s one point, half a point, or twenty points.”
Verstappen then added: "You’re either pregnant or you’re not. You’re not half-pregnant, right?"
The Dutchman remained optimistic about Red Bull's prospects heading into next season, when new regulations are set to shake up the grid, including changes to the power unit, chassis and aerodynamic rules.
Mercedes are believed to be early frontrunners next season, given their extensive experience in engine development.
Next year will mark the debut of Red Bull Powertrains, the team's in-house engine division launched following Honda's decision to leave F1.
That is just one of several recent changes at Red Bull, who replaced Christian Horner with Laurent Mekies as team principal earlier this year, while Helmut Marko also departed after two decades.
The driver line-up will also change, with Isack Hadjar promoted from Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda.
It remains to be seen whether Verstappen will commit his long-term future to Red Bull if the team struggles to adapt during this transitional period.
On Sky Sports F1, Karun Chandhok said he believes Verstappen will be driving the best car in 2027.
Topics: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Formula 1, McLaren, Motorsport
James Taylor