Former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has argued that Max Verstappen's 2025 resurgence in performance was "very inspiring for a lot of drivers" and, despite not clinching the championship title, was the most "outstanding driver of all of them".
After effectively counting himself out of the championship fight ahead of the summer break, Verstappen had a late-season surge which resulted in a second-place finish in the standings, just two points behind championship winner Lando Norris.
Following the summer break, the four-time champion finished on the podium in every grand prix, with wins in the Italian, Azerbaijan, United States, Las Vegas and Qatar Grands Prix as well as the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
"In 2025, Abu Dhabi was almost the least exciting race of the whole season. But the build-up to Abu Dhabi was amazing," Grosjean told beIN Sports.
"Max Verstappen, I have got to say it, is this year the outstanding driver of all of them. He didn't have a good car, lost a lot of points and it was a miracle that he came back in the fight in Abu Dhabi. There was no way he should have been in there, and finishing only two points behind Lando Norris is outstanding."
He added: "It's definitely one of his best seasons. Last year was strong, the year before, the car was so dominant that it was kind of easy. Well, it's never easy, but easier. His first world championship was tough in the battle with Lewis [Hamilton].
"So that was also a good one. But I would say that, this year, just coming back from so far behind and being so impressive and so consistent and strong… that has been very inspiring for a lot of drivers."
Speaking about the abrupt change in performance during the post-race press conference in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen explained: "Yeah, massive roller coaster for us. The first half some nice moments but mainly tough moments, some really tough races and feelings but I'm also very proud of how we never gave up.
"That's also a lesson for the future for everyone that even when it looks like you're out of it, you never give up, you keep working hard to try and understand your issues, and then you never know what can happen."
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