"I don't know if Max Verstappen cares": Pundit feels the Red Bull driver doesn't mind losing out to George Russell in the championship

F1 pundit and commentator Karun Chandhok has claimed that Max Verstappen may not care about losing out on the P3 spot in the 2025 drivers' championship to George Russell. The Indian former racing driver feels that the 27-year-old will not be bothered about where he finishes in the championship if it is not first.

Verstappen's hopes of a fifth drivers' title are all but over after 14 rounds of the 2025 F1 season. The Dutchman is 97 points behind the top spot in the standings, with the McLarens ahead of him showing no signs of slowing down.

The performance of the Red Bull car in the 2025 season means that Verstappen is more under threat from George Russell and Charles Leclerc behind him, who sit just 15 and 36 points adrift, respectively.

During the broadcast of the Dutch GP FP2 session, Sky Sports commentator David Croft suggested that Verstappen will not want to lose out to Russell in the standings, given their rivalry. His co-commentator and pundit Karun Chandhok jumped in to share a contradictory opinion.

"I don't know if Max cares. He probably sees going to the end of season awards as a bit of a headache if he's not won the championship," said Chandhok.

"I don't question his commitment on a week in, week out basis. What I question is whether he's actually looking at the points to see whether he finishes third, fourth, fifth," he added.

An expectation of a Max Verstappen victory at the Dutch GP this year is perhaps the lowest it's ever been since the historic track returned to the F1 calendar in 2021. The four-time F1 world champion won three consecutive races at Zandvoort from 2021 to 2023, but had to settle for P2 in 2024 as Lando Norris claimed victory.

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Karun Chandhok shares intriguing theory regarding Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the Belgian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

During the Dutch GP FP2 session, Karun Chandhok also claimed on commentary that hugely successful F1 drivers such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton simply do not care about where they finish in the drivers' standings if it isn't first. He also added how they simply "exist to win".

Expanding further on his earlier point, Chandhok explained how the world champions are in the sport with only the vision of winning.

"People like Lewis and Max, given the level of success they've had in the past, I bet if you ask Lewis how many times he's finished third in the championship, he will have no idea," said Chandhok.

"They don't care, they exist to win. And that's what they're here for," he added.

2025 has been an odd year for Verstappen, who has developed a habit of winning numerous races over the last four years. He has claimed 53 race wins over the course of the last four seasons, but has only stood on the top step of the podium on two occasions this year so far.