medium sizeAx Verstappen has made it clear all season that he wants to win the Formula One world title with a dominant car, just like he did the previous two years. While he may prefer to jog, the fight for his fourth title in Las Vegas is not only a greater sport, but also a sign of the maturity he has become as a driver.
As his title rival Lando Norris admits, beating him will be a tough task in the future.
Early in the season, Verstappen seemed to be coming into his own again. He directed the Red Bull around the track as it zoomed off the track. His confidence and pace were formidable at the opening round in Bahrain, with the advantage at certain moments ranging from eight-tenths to a second per lap, a huge gulf as he asked almost flippantly Does engineer Gianpiero Lambiase need a push?
He seemed unfazed by the controversy that erupted at the start of the season when team principal Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female staff member, a complaint that was later dismissed by an independent inquiry but remains fluid.
The Bahrain team was something of a harbinger, winning four of the first five races, the only DNF in Australia due to brake problems. But the season kicked off in Miami in Round 6, where McLaren deployed their first major upgrade. These proved revolutionary, providing Red Bull with a car. It was also here that Verstappen first discovered what he thought was a problem with his driving. He pointed to a disturbing lack of grip, and to further muddy the waters, long-time design genius Adrian Newey announced over the weekend that he would be leaving Red Bull after nearly two decades. Norris took the first win and started fighting back.
Verstappen was not to be underestimated and he won three of the next four races in a series of intense drives, the last of which was in Spain in June before the wheels literally came off.
With McLaren so fast now, Red Bull are chasing every incremental gain, but the developments they bring will only prove to be detrimental. The upgrades that started in Miami threw the car off balance, and trying to compensate for it through the settings only made it more difficult on the tires, exacerbating degradation and grip issues. The oversteer that Verstappen favored was gone, which all made his job more difficult.
But what happened next showed Verstappen’s determination. He had a string of strong results, going a full five months without any wins, but a series of hard-fought race results prevented Norris from closing the gap too quickly, with some controversial, sometimes ruthless and overly aggressive So was the driving which hurt the world champion.
Crucially, this all happened in a car that Verstappen was decried as an “undriveable monster” after being relegated to sixth at Monza, a race in which Red Bull was comprehensively outclassed by McLaren and Ferrari beyond.
McLaren’s failure to prioritize Norris’ championship tilt was helped in part by the fact that the British driver made several errors in his attempt to close the gap. A high price was paid. But ultimately it was Verstappen driving a stubborn car that made the difference. His teammate Sergio Perez even struggled to score points in the same car at times, saying the car handled “like a boat”.
It was during this period that he accomplished all of this almost entirely by will. “I’ve always been very demanding of myself,” he said. “I hate making mistakes. I put pressure on myself every weekend. If you want to win titles you can’t afford bad results.
After five months without a victory, Verstappen almost sealed victory in Brazil with a coup de grace. He started from 17th on the grid and his victory in the rain was an absolute masterclass. Norris started from pole position and was expected to see a huge boost in the British driver’s favor, but Verstappen performed well in treacherous conditions, leading to a number of drivers crashing and Norris falling to sixth. Verstappen’s touch and speed in the wet allowed him to slash around the field and gain a full 20-second lead at the flagpole.
“This is the decisive moment for the championship,” Norris said, but it is also the moment that will determine the level of Verstappen’s performance this season. “If you want to beat Max, you have to be close to perfect,” Norris added. “He’s one of the best players the game has ever seen.” Judging from his performance, to win this title, it is indeed a fair assessment.
