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The likelihood is that Max Verstappen will not be Formula 1 world champion this year. And yet 2025 will elevate his standing even further as the benchmark for modern drivers as well as a unique all-time great.
One or two lapses in judgement aside, Verstappen has once again performed at the top end of his ability in F1 this season. He is the best driver on the grid on the most consistent basis and this season should further that claim as much as any of his title-winning years - he's not been perfect, but has been typically great.
And in the same year he has become a Nordschleife winner with his victory in Saturday’s four-hour NLS race on the Nurburgring’s epic full version, sharing an Emil Frey-run Ferrari 296 with Chris Lulham for his GT3 racing debut.
There has been justified attention on Verstappen’s bid to get a permit to race at the famous track, a favourite of his from sim racing, and then actually compete there properly and win at the first attempt.
OK, it wasn’t 24 hours around the Nordschleife, and there were some top drivers missing - but it was the Nordschleife, so it was a bigger deal than, for instance, Lando Norris turning up for a British GT round at Silverstone. Especially as it comes with the promise of so much more in Verstappen's era-transcending career.
On the one hand, Verstappen is the ideal modern grand prix driver, a product of a stellar karting background imbued with round-the-clock enthusiasm for driving that means he also has a fierce dedication to sim racing.
On the other hand, he is a throwback: F1 driver is his job but he is not pigeon holed as a single-seater specialist, he is a committed, passionate racer who wants to drive to satisfy his own interest for driving.
The upshot is the best F1 driver in the world is taking busman’s holidays to the Nordschleife and racing on arguably the world’s most famous, fearsome racetrack. The unique, impressive reality of that really shouldn’t be underestimated.
Verstappen’s drive and enthusiasm for racing is extreme even among his peers, rivalling that of Fernando Alonso. The two drivers share an underlying love of driving and a strong mutual respect. Ask either who is the best in F1 (besides themselves!) and they would probably say the other.
What’s different about Verstappen though is he has no reason to be doing this other than enjoying it. And there is a clear contrast here to what Alonso did during his extracurricular activities.
Alonso entering the Indianapolis 500 in the middle of an F1 season, and the Le Mans 24 Hours the next, was part of a very serious bid for the Triple Crown. It would be wrong to put Verstappen doing more German endurance series races on the same level as that.
But, at least part of what Alonso did must be put down to a desire for personal glory. F1 wasn’t working out at the time, he could see his tally of world titles being forever on two as certain peers racked up more and more, and he wanted to prove he was the best in the world in another way.
Verstappen might end up doing the same thing - but it could almost happen by accident, a case of 'winning something just because he wanted to race something'.
There's a strong likelihood Verstappen is heading towards having an immense F1 record and then a post-F1 career as a brilliant all-rounder.
By any measure, even Alonso's, he would have a strong claim as the best of his generation and maybe the best driver of all time.
