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Max Verstappen has long defined himself as one of the most dominant figures in modern Formula 1. With 71 race wins, the Dutch driver continues to build a legacy that places him among the sport's all-time greats, behind Lewis Hamilton with 105 victories and Michael Schumacher with 91.
That status was further reinforced during 2025, a year in which Verstappen once again fought at the top of the championship. He closed the season with a victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it was not enough to secure the title, as McLaren's Lando Norris ultimately took the championship in a tightly contested battle.
Even so, Verstappen's year included one of his most notable recoveries. After being 104 points behind at mid-season following the Dutch Grand Prix, he managed to close the gap significantly in the final stretch with Red Bull Racing, keeping the title fight alive until the closing rounds.
A shift in Formula 1
The start of 2026, however, has brought a very different feeling. Recent changes in Formula 1 regulations have reshaped the competitive landscape, with performances across the grid becoming less predictable and teams like McLaren also struggling to maintain the consistency shown the year before.
For Verstappen, the opening races reflected that new reality. In Australia, a crash in qualifying forced him to start from the back, before recovering to sixth in the race. In China, the situation became more complicated with a ninth place in the sprint and a mechanical failure in the main race, leaving him without points from the weekend.
A new direction in Verstappen's career?
Outside Formula 1, Verstappen has been testing a different racing environment. Today, March 21, he competed with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie at Nordschleife. He crossed the line in first place after a dominant performance, but his team was later disqualified. The outing still added another layer to his racing profile beyond F1.
This latest outing is not the only different direction Verstappen has explored beyond racing. In 2025, he also became a father for the first time with Kelly Piquet. Alongside their established family dynamic with Penélope, Kelly's daughter from a previous relationship, these developments added a new layer to his life outside competition, and have naturally led to speculation about whether his priorities may be gradually shifting as his career continues to evolve.
For now, the next Grand Prix is Japan, offering Verstappen an opportunity to see whether he can start shifting the momentum and put his season back on track in terms of points and direction.