Verstappen acknowledges the mental games in the title race for 2025.

      "That comes to me naturally."

      Max Verstappen has acknowledged that he continued to engage in psychological tactics during the 2025 championship battle with McLaren, despite previously claiming he had moved on from such strategies. In October, the four-time world champion downplayed any notion of using mental games against Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, comparing this season to his intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

      "Back then, that was the kind of game I played. Will I do that again? I don’t need to," Verstappen stated at the time. "Back then, I hadn’t won a world title. Now, I have a few, while they haven’t. At this point, you tend to feel more anxious if you haven't become a world champion compared to when you have titles under your belt."

      However, in a conversation with Viaplay, now that the championship has been settled, Verstappen admitted that the mind games never truly ceased. The interviewer referenced Verstappen’s provocative assertion that he would have clinched the title much sooner if he had been driving a McLaren, which he acknowledged was a deliberate jab.

      "That comes to me automatically," Verstappen smiled when asked about it. "I also do that a bit for fun. Those are just things you say because you know they will be reported everywhere. I don’t mind if I say it or not. Sometimes I enjoy it because it elicits a response. That’s part of the game as well."