Verstappen's legacy grows, even without 5th title

Max Verstappen didn't walk away from this season as a five-time world champion, but he left with an even bigger legacy, his mystique reaching a height only a few have ever hit before.

Although he fell two points shy of reversing a historic 104-point deficit and extending his four-year title run, Verstappen's relentless comeback attempt sent a wave of anxiety through the McLaren base. CEO Zak Brown gave a glimpse into the team's unease, likening the Dutch driver to a horror-movie character who wouldn't go away.

In 2025, Verstappen became Formula 1's boogeyman.

And he had no issue embracing the persona, calling himself "Chucky."

McLaren, appearing to be plagued by paranoia, was constantly looking over its shoulder, chasing every suspicion of Verstappen's presence. Like viewers watching a scary movie, fans could only yell at their screens as the protagonist walked into traps. As Verstappen closed in, McLaren's mistakes piled up, culminating in the outfit throwing away valuable points in Las Vegas and Qatar.

All of this pushed Verstappen into a form the paddock hadn't seen since 2023 - only this time, he was the hunter instead of the hunted. He shrank a seemingly insurmountable 104-point deficit after Zandvoort to just 12 entering Abu Dhabi. When the checkered flag waved Sunday, Verstappen was two points short of a fifth world title.

It doesn't feel as if Verstappen lost the championship because he wasn't good enough. He just ran out of time.

Despite Verstappen driving a sometimes temperamental RB21, no driver had more wins (eight), poles (eight), or laps led (454) than he did. While McLaren managed to lead three races from start to finish - whether through one driver's dominance or a shared effort - Verstappen accomplished the feat four times on his own. This isn't an argument over whether the 28-year-old deserves to be champion over his rivals. That's not how it works. The driver with the most points earns the title. But there's no question Verstappen would have made a worthy champ had it gone his way.

The improbability of Verstappen's comeback risks getting lost among the final point tally. Only months earlier, speculation swirled regarding Mercedes courting him for a 2026 move. Meanwhile, Red Bull had parted with the only team principal it had ever known, Christian Horner, and replaced him with Laurent Mekies. Verstappen also entered the summer break saying he didn't think he'd win again after a disastrous weekend in Hungary.

For most of the season, the hope of a title challenge didn't exist in anyone's imagination except McLaren's. The team warned the world that the boogeyman could return. Who knows if the outfit actually believed it?

Though McLaren's fears proved correct, it could do little to stop Verstappen, who scored 10 straight podiums after the summer break and won six races.

A fifth championship would've sealed a legendary campaign, but what the 71-time race winner added to his legacy this year ultimately didn't need the confirmation of a trophy. After making record-breaking dominance look easy in the past, Verstappen turned a papaya juggernaut into a pumpkin. Maybe it's time to stop regarding the Red Bull driver as only a world champion. Of the now 35 titleholders in F1 history, only a few could have done what Verstappen did this season.