Max Verstappen and why he is up there with giants like Prost, Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton

The strength of his season it did not deserve such an important celebration with so much confusion. Since the first season of the category, back in 1950, only twelve drivers have been consecutive champions: Ascari (52-53), Fangio (54-55), Brabham (59-60), Hill (61-62), Prost ( 85-86), Senna (90-91), Schumacher (94-95), Häkkinen (98-99), Alonso (05-06), Vettel (10-11), Hamilton (14-15) and from this year Verstappen. An important achievement in the life of any elite driver, but last Sunday it seemed like a succession of doubts that made it clear to no one, including Max himself, whether the Dutchman had won or not. It is enough to see the initial celebration of the two-time champion to realize that this suppressed cry was not in accordance with the immense achievement that he pursued during this calendar. Even so, commemorative spectaculars aside, the truth is that Verstappen has achieved the revalidation of the title after a more forceful season than the previous one. As much as Leclerc started the year hitting hard, the instability of the Ferrari team has ended up playing against a championship definition that should have been much tighter than this loose outcome.

No one doubts at this time that Max is the great benchmark in the category. One sees him every weekend and it becomes clear that he is the headliner of the grid, the undisputed one. Gone are the days, from 2015, when the category saw his presence as a dangerous affront due to his youth and inexperience. Let’s remember that when he debuted he was 17 years, 5 months and 15 days), the first Grand Prix of his ‘rookie’ season in F1. His arrival generated a lot of debate. He did it very young and with only 27 races of experience aboard a Formula 3 single-seater. The criticism of his presence, at that time, was furious. “I think the Max thing is an insult. Is Red Bull realizing that they are putting a child in F1 Before fighting against others, you have to learn, and the role of F1 is not to teach, ”said Jacques Villeneuve at the time? Today, with twice as many titles as the Canadian driver, Verstappen has shown the world that the bet was not wrong.

The reigning two-time champion has a valid contract with Red Bull until 2028. That is, for six more seasons. The team seems to have been designed around it and it is almost certain that in the coming years the winged house will not be tempted to bring any figure that overshadows its maximum jewel. In this sense, the only seat in the Austrian team is the second. For now, Red Bull, already with the drivers’ championship in the bag and the constructors’ championship almost assured, will work on these dates to achieve the tandem of drivers in the world championship. So from today the team’s priority will be on Checo Pérez. “We have won six drivers’ titles, but we have never taken home a double in the drivers’ standings. I am sure that Max can reach 13 wins or maybe even 14, but for us it is more important to have Checo Pérez in second place in the World Championship”, said Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, making it clear that from today the team is in aztec mode.

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