"It is still 18 points more than what I had here last year”: Max Verstappen offers straightforward verdict on his P2 finish in Australia

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said he was pleased with his P2 finish at the end of a chaotic 2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver started the race from P3 behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

After making a quick start off the line that saw him get past Piastri into P2, the reigning four-time F1 world champion slipped back into his original slot after making a mistake in the race.

But once again reclaiming P2 from the Aussie in the final phase of the race, he challenged Norris for the race lead but was unable to make a move. In his post-race interview, Max Verstappen mentioned that he was satisfied with his result, making a reference to his 2024 race in Melbourne where he DNFed in the opening laps, saying:

"It was a difficult race, of course. But at the end, it was fun. Lando had a little moment on entry of Turn 6, so he lost a lot of momentum there, so that’s what I got close and then I got the DRS. I got close but it’s very hard to pass around here, but it was fun. Those last laps, pushing, at least when you’re fighting for the win."

"I’m just very happy to bring it home, score good points, and this is a decent starting point for us. You can see on that first stint we were lacking a bit of pace to the McLaren, but it’s still 18 points more than I had here last year, so I’ll take that."

Verstappen was one of the few drivers who gambled during a late-race shower and benefited from Piastri's mistake to inherit second place.

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Max Verstappen reflects on his call to stay out during the main race

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said he felt a bit of panic when both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri slid off the track in front of him and started a chain of pitstops.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the 27-year-old reflected on his call to stay out on dry tires while Norris pit for intermediates, saying:

"I think that was also, it started to rain a bit, they went off, so it was a bit like a panic, like, ‘oh, I need to box.’ So they went in, I stayed out. The first lap I think it was alright, but then unfortunately the weather continued a little bit more on the other side of the track as well and we then had to box."

With his P2 finish in Melbourne, Max Verstappen's hold over the driver's championship also came to an end given he trails Lando Norris in the standings. The Dutch driver had led the standings since Spain 2022 and never fell behind any of his challengers.