Verstappen's Dutch compatriot Van der Garde, who raced 19 times for now-defunct Caterham in 2013, said he was "getting a bit tired of" the narrative of having to deliver under pressure or face the consequences.
Here's a look at some key moments which helped decide the championship fight.
Max Verstappen sees no need to change the way he goes racing despite the threat of a race ban hanging over him at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Four times Formula One world champion Max Verstappen and partner Kelly Piquet announced the birth of daughter Lily on Friday.
Days after the Red Bull driver and partner Kelly Piquet welcomed daughter Lily, his first child, the four-times champion set a blistering lap of one minute 26.204 seconds around the Hard Rock Stadium.
Formula One teams and stakeholders have unanimously agreed to engine rule tweaks aimed at improving racing and driver safety, starting with the Miami race on May 3.
Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula One victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest race winner in history as Mercedes secured a one-two finish.
Verstappen starts new Red Bull era with Spa sprint win
Red Bull spoke to Formula One's governing body FIA before the Canadian Grand Prix to warn them that Max Verstappen's rivals might try and lure the Dutch driver into a one-race ban, according to team boss Christian Horner.
Formula One's 2026 season opens at the Australian Grand Prix with sweeping chassis and power unit changes, new overtake modes and sustainable fuel ushering in a bold but uncertain new era.
Verstappen crossed the line in his Red Bull for his 64th Grand Prix victory to a huge ovation from the 115,000 crowd some 1.4 seconds ahead of McLaren's championship leader Lando Norris in second place.
George Russell put his Mercedes on pole position in Canada for the second year in a row on Saturday with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen alongside on the front row.
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes wins the Japanese Grand Prix, becoming the youngest-ever championship leader. The race saw a high-speed crash involving Oliver Bearman, who was later cleared by doctors.
The reason for doing so was not disclosed in the statement.
Norris won't ask Piastri to gift him F1 title in Abu Dhabi
The Briton goes into Sunday's title decider in Abu Dhabi 12 points clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri a further four behind.
Max Verstappen celebrated Red Bull's 400th Formula One race with a fourth win in a row at Imola on Sunday.
In the constructors' standings, Ferrari closed the gap to McLaren to 24 points.
Present rivalries and past collisions hang over Red Bull's home Austrian Grand Prix as Formula One braces for the next round of Max Verstappen v George Russell and more title-chasing drama at McLaren.
McLaren's Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.
New cars, new engines, change in qualifying, one rookie are among the many updates from the 2026 F1 season.
World champion Max Verstappen took pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, stunning the McLarens with a late flying lap.
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula One driver to take pole position for a full Grand Prix after qualifying fastest for Mercedes in China on Saturday.
'Atiqa's rise through the karting ranks has unfolded on grids where she is often one of the only girls competing against a bunch of "bullying" boys, and she doesn't shy away from bullying them back.'
Max Verstappen was surprised by his Red Bull car's performance as the F1 defending champion took third place in qualifying for the season-opening race.
Australian Grand Prix chief executive Travis Auld anticipates no impact on this weekend's Formula One season-opener at Melbourne's Albert Park from the travel issues caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Four-time world champion Verstappen said he understood, with Monza having a contract to 2031 for the Italian Grand Prix, but also felt the loss.
Each of the three title contenders had them in 2025: Norris might have had an easier run to his first crown had he not driven into the back of Piastri's car and retired in Canada three laps from the end.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday with the battle for the constructor's title going down to next weekend's Abu Dhabi season-ender
Oscar Piastri led McLaren teammate and Formula One title rival Lando Norris at the top of the timesheets in sole practice for the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday.
Verstappen is third overall in the standings, 61 points behind Piastri who leads Norris by 15, and chasing his third win of the campaign to make up for retirement in Austria last weekend.
Formula One will crown its champion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both seeking to dethrone Red Bull's Max Verstappen and deny the Dutchman his fifth title in a row.
World champion Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in dramatic style on Saturday.
'I find it ridiculous what happened, so why should I then give full answers?'
McLaren's Lando Norris won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to surge 24 points clear in the Formula One championship on Sunday.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen dealt Lando Norris a shattering blow in their Formula One title battle by winning a wet and chaotic Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th on the grid.
Bernie Ecclestone says his money is still on Red Bull's Max Verstappen to win the Formula One championship
George Russell wins F1's Singapore GP as McLaren secures constructors' title
Max Verstappen claimed his sixth victory from nine races this season and the 60th of his Formula One career.
Double world champion Max Verstappen ran away with a Saturday sprint race in a Red Bull one-two at the Austrian Grand Prix.
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