Verstappen's Manager: Norris 'Should Have Been Champion Much Earlier'

Max Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, has labeled the Dutchman's 2025 season a "work of art" while delivering a blunt assessment of Lando Norris's championship victory. In an interview, Vermeulen argued that despite Norris winning his first title by a narrow margin, McLaren's operational errors and the sheer pace of their car meant the Brit "should have become champion much earlier."

Why it matters:

This commentary reignites the intense rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren, reframing Norris's hard-fought title triumph not just as a victory, but as a recovery from potential failure. It underscores the high-stakes environment where even a dominant car isn't enough without flawless execution, adding a psychological edge to the competition heading into the next season.

The details:

• Vermeulen praised Verstappen for turning the season around after early struggles with Red Bull, calling his performance a "work of art" and questioning if it was even better than his dominant 2023 campaign.
• He directly criticized McLaren, stating, "if you turn it around, McLaren made a lot more mistakes."
• The key takeaway from his assessment was the blunt claim: "With that car, Norris should have become champion much earlier, of course."
• This mirrors Verstappen's own in-season comments, where he claimed the championship "would have been over a long time ago" if his team had a car as dominant as the McLaren MCL39.
• Norris previously dismissed such remarks from Verstappen, stating it was just Red Bull's "aggressive nature" and "talking nonsense a lot of the time."

Looking ahead:

While Norris ultimately secured the championship by just two points in Abu Dhabi, Vermeulen's comments ensure the narrative of the 2025 season will be debated for months to come. The war of words sets a tense backdrop for the 2026 season, where both McLaren and Red Bull will be determined to prove their dominance, both on and off the track.