Since the 2022 Formula One season, Max Verstappen has been on such a high pedestal that no one has even come close to challenging his reign of dominance. The Dutchman has won 43 of the last 68 Grand Prix races which is absolutely mind boggling to think of. But, as we all know, all good things must come to an end at some point and last season hinted the end of Red Bull’s dominance. Verstappen was no longer cruising to race victories as the margin between the front of the field was closer than ever before. Verstappen did manage to win the drivers championship last season but, can he win it this year? Let’s dive into three brief aspects that Verstappen needs to capitalize on in order to be crowned world champion once again.

LIMIT TIME PENALTIES

Now that the top teams are separated by only a few seconds, time penalties are going to be extremely detrimental to the drivers. In previous seasons, Verstappen could get away with time penalties since he was always so far out in front of the field. But this will certainly not be the case for this season. Verstappen will have to be very cautious of track limits and causing collisions since those are primarily the reasons why he gets awarded time penalties. If Verstappen can race cleanly and stay in between the white lines throughout the 2025 world tour, I think he has a great chance of coming out on top of the standings.

STAY AWAY FROM TRACK LIMITS DURING QUALIFYING

If a driver accidentally has all four wheels go over the white lines during qualifying, they don’t gain a time penalty like they would during a race. Instead, the lap is deleted and is erased from the timing table. This can absolutely destroy a driver’s Grand Prix weekend because if they do not have any time to complete another lap, they have to wait anxiously and see what position they will end up in. Verstappen will want to make sure that he either does not find himself in this position at all or, limit the amount of times this happens to him. There will definitely be drivers getting their laps deleted so Verstappen will want to capitalize on their mistakes without making any of his own. 

KEEP DRIVING AGGRESSIVE

Although Verstappen has received criticism due to his aggressive and sometimes over the top racing style, this is the way he has become one of the most dominant drivers in Formula One history. Whether you like it or not, his driving has won him four World Championships so far. So, it is clear that he is doing something right. Plus all World Champions have had some form of aggressive driving style so it is not just Verstappen who contains this attitude towards racing. If Verstappen can maintain his level of focus and competitiveness while limiting penalties and infringements, he will be on the road to winning it all this season.