Photo: Race Pictures

Marko hails 'super' Verstappen but admits Red Bull 'couldn’t do anything else’

16:47, 07 Dec

Updated: 17:15, 07 Dec

byOlly Darcy

Helmut Marko said Max Verstappen drove a "super" race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it was "not quite enough" to stop Lando Norris from winning the 2025 World Championship.

"I think from this strategy we couldn't have done anything else."

- Helmut Marko

At the season finale, Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri all had the chance to win the world title, with the Briton just needing a podium finish to seal a maiden title.

Verstappen needed to take victory at the Yas Marina Circuit, and he did so with a fine drive from pole position. However, his stunning comeback fell just short, missing out on a fifth consecutive title by two points as Norris finished in P3.

"It was not quite enough, and it was one Red Bull against two McLarens," Marko began to GPblog and others in the Abu Dhabi paddock.

Lando Norris became the 11th driver from Great Britain to win the World Championship - Photo: Race Pictures

"Max did a super end race, and I think from this strategy we couldn't have done anything else. No safety car, so basically it was a race that was just at the front, some speed, but otherwise, no action.

"Unfortunately, we were hoping that Leclerc and Russell would have more speed, but that wasn't the case."

As a result, Verstappen's run of four consecutive World Championships comes to an end, despite winning eight races in the campaign compared to the seven won by Norris and Piastri.

Marko says Ferrari and Mercedes 'weren't strong enough'

In a roller-coaster 2025 season, Verstappen came back from a 104-point deficit to fight for the world title on the last day and almost complete one of the greatest comebacks ever seen in Formula 1.

However, although the 28-year-old did all he could to finish the campaign at the top of the standings, results did not fall his way, and a clever strategy call from McLaren to split strategies between Norris and Piastri meant Verstappen could not bunch the field up.

"As long as they were second and third, it was nothing. [McLaren] made a clever move to put Piastri on hard tyres. That's why we couldn't bunch up the whole field, because the benefit would have been on the side of Piastri," continued the Austrian.

Lando Norris came under pressure from Charles Leclerc at times, but the Ferrari could not hold on to the back of the McLaren - Photo: Race Pictures

"It was smart, because that stopped us going slow and bunched the field together because the only profit there with the hard tyres would have been Piastri.

"The problem was that Ferrari and Mercedes were not strong enough. So Ferrari did five, six laps, and then the tyres were gone.

"We are proud to make 104 points to two points. But, we are disappointed to lose by two points."

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