Max Verstappen falls just short of a 5th straight F1 title after stunning comeback

No Formula 1 driver puts pressure on his rivals quite like Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull star did it to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, winning his first title on the last lap of the season and preventing Hamilton from clinching a record eighth F1 title.

Verstappen came close to winning the title again this year, mounting an incredible late charge to crank up the pressure on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Earlier in the season, the McLaren teammates were contesting the F1 title between themselves.

But Verstappen changed all that.

Heading into Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it had become a three-way battle.

Verstappen did all he could.

He won in Abu Dhabi from pole position for a third straight race win, a season-leading eighth and 71st of a stellar career.

It was not quite enough to overtake Norris, who won his first F1 title by placing third in the race and ending up just two points ahead of Verstappen in the standings.

But it showed why Verstappen commands so much awe.

“This Max guy is pretty hard to beat,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky with a large dose of understatement.

One race earlier, at the Qatar GP, Brown had jokingly compared Verstappen to a horror movie ghoul who keeps resurfacing.

“He's like that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think he's not coming back, he's back,” Brown said in a podcast interview before the Qatar race. “What an unbelievable talent he is. He never makes mistakes. He seizes every opportunity. We've never thought he was out.”

After winning the Dutch GP on Aug. 31, Piastri led Norris by 34 points and was 104 ahead of Verstappen, who back then had won just two races compared to seven for Piastri. Verstappen took advantage of McLaren's errors to barge his way back into contention.

“(When) you lose the championship by two points it looks painful. But on the other hand, if you look from where we were in Zandvoort, more than 100 behind, then it's not too bad," Verstappen said. “I’m very proud of the whole team. We could have also very easily given up at that point.”

Verstappen is already considered among the F1 greats, alongside Hamilton, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

Despite his relatively young age, the 28-year-old Dutchman is already third all-time for race wins behind Schumacher (91) and Hamilton (105). Verstappen has 127 podium finishes and 48 pole positions — one area where he is not as clinical as Hamilton (a record 104 poles) was in his prime with Mercedes.

When Norris won the Brazil GP sprint race in early November, he moved 39 points ahead of Verstappen with four races to go.

A few weeks later, Verstappen had dramatically turned the tables and all the pressure was on Norris and Piastri.

“It’s probably fair to say that the world discovered an even more extraordinary Max this season,” Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said. “A bit because of the magnitude of the comeback. A bit because he has been so relaxed.”

Verstappen has been more amiable since becoming a father earlier this year, and has made a concerted effort to reign in his occasionally scathing rants over team radio.

He was all smiles and friendly with Norris when they watched highlights of Sunday's race in the cool-down room.

In the past, bursts of rage or flashes of frustration would get the better of Verstappen.

Less so now.

But one thing that hasn't changed is his intense desire to win and deep self-belief, whatever the odds.

“The fightback has been really fun," Verstappen said. “I don’t see it like losing (the championship).”

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands waves towards the crowd on the podium after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travelers are getting out — by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks.

Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to 200,000 euros ($232,000) as major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, Qatar, were closed after the start of the conflict last weekend.

Travelers from Dubai, usually known as a safe and luxurious destination, are seeking to evacuate by traveling overland either to Muscat, Oman, about a four-hour drive, or to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, more than 10 hours away. Then they board one of the few available commercial flights or take a charter flight, whose costs have soared since the start of the war.

“The demand is huge, and we can’t deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand,” said Altay Kula, CEO of the France-based private jet broker JET-VIP.

Whereas normally a charter flight on a private jet that can accommodate up to 16 passengers from Riyadh to Porto in Portugal may cost around 100,000 euros ($115,800) these days, the cost has doubled, Kula said.

“This increase in cost reflects the aircraft’s scarcity, the repositioning costs as well, and the operator risk assessments. So this is not speculative pricing,” he added.

Prices can vary depending on the departure point, the type of aircraft and the route constraints, said Ameerh Naran, CEO of Vimana Private Jets. For flights from the Gulf region to Europe, prices are ranging from 150,000 euros ($173,800) to 200,000 euros, he added.

In order to reach functional airports such as those in Riyadh and Muscat, some travelers hire private security companies that coordinate transportation in vehicles ranging from ordinary passenger cars to coach buses.

Due to the heavy traffic, wait times at border points with Oman can be up to four hours, while costs range in the thousands of dollars, said Ian McCaul, operations and planning director with Alma Risk, a U.K.-based risk management and security firm.

Those seeking to leave are predominantly stranded travelers, as opposed to residents, McCaul added.

He estimates his company has made transfer arrangements for more than 200 people and advised several others in recent days.

Vimana's clients include business executives, families and entrepreneurs, as well as remote workers who had been based in the region, Naran said.

Elie Hanna, CEO for the Middle East headquarters of Air Charter Service, based in Dubai, said most of the flights out of the region are leaving from Oman. The prices are so high, he said, because few charter planes are available since most of them are stuck at airports that are now closed.

The clients he is seeing range from people who regularly charter private, as well as people who generally fly commercial but are trying to pool resources with other travelers or families to share the expense.

“Everyone is stressed," Hanna said. "To be honest, everyone is trying to accommodate as much as they can. Muscat Airport is overloaded with flights and everybody is stressed.”

Experts from the International SOS security and health services company expect the fighting to continue to affect transportation and energy infrastructure for weeks.

A few people walk in a public plaza in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

Light traffic moves along a main road in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

ADDS CAUSE OF BLACK SMOKE IN THE BACKGROUND.- A plume of smoke caused by an Iranian strike is seen in the background an an Emirates plane is parked at the Dubai International Airport after its closure in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)