Max Verstappen and the Formula 1 title that equals him with legends like Senna, Lauda and Piquet | OPINION

Detractors may claim that Verstappen’s forcefulness is due to the car. They will say, lightly, that with another vehicle they would not be the leader or that any driver on the grid with the same purple car would be fighting for the title. But it is enough to observe the performance of Checo, the second driver with the most victories in the season, to realize that Red Bull is not a Transformer that turns on and destroys everything in its path. Max’s success is the perfect communion between the driver and the team. Red Bull is not just a team, but a structure designed around the three-time champion.

“The Red Bull car is configured in a unique way that is built around the main driver, and that is Max. And, look, I totally understand why. At the end of the day, he may end up being the greatest driver of all time. But he has a very different driving style and likes the car to be set up in a specific way that is difficult for many drivers to time. Of course, you can adjust your own car, but in general, the Red Bull adapts to Max’s style,” Albon commented at the time about the perfect conjunction between the three-time champion and the team.

A monotonous category is a risk. Sport always has an element of chance, but Max has taken that variable away from Formula One. Many feel that the Dutchman’s dominance has injected boredom into the division. The company Buzz Radar recently presented a report that combined real analysis and artificial intelligence data to study 70 million fan posts on social networks over the last decade. Their data suggests that mentions of F1 on social media have decreased by 70.2% in the first six months of this season compared to the same period in 2022, with a 46.29% decrease in the number of new followers and 64.10% in social reach.

Faced with this reality, the FIA ​​is concerned that the spectacle they are building, and which they are intensely promoting with the prominence of the United States in the championship (with three scheduled dates and the imminent arrival of the Andretti-Cadillac team), will begin to deflate due to the recurrence of Max’s domination. Verstappen pulverizes his rivals and lacks empathy, he does not have the charisma of Vettel, the eccentricity of Lewis Hamilton or the versatility of Fernando Alonso. Verstappen has the charisma of a scientist discovering a deadly new strain. He is dry on the podium, forceful on the radio and blunt in front of the microphones. “This is what I have always worked for. All my life. If now people start saying it’s boring, so be it. But I also know the other side of the coin, so I don’t think it’s boring at all. If it bores them, it is a very personal assessment,” he admitted after breaking the record for most consecutive victories.

Beyond the objections and emotions, in the coldness of the asphalt, Max has been the best without a doubt. A worthy champion in the middle of his strongest season. This title represents his most forceful consecration, without the doubts of 2021 or the duels of 2022. It is a championship that leaves an indelible mark. Verstappen’s third crown. Three titles in nine seasons, since his debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso. Does this achievement take you to the Olympus of the category’s emblematic figures? Without a doubt, when comparing his three titles with those of Senna, Piquet, Lauda, ​​Stewart and Brabham. What’s more, of that glorious quintet, Verstappen can boast of being better than Brabham and Piquet, who achieved their third crown in their twelfth and tenth seasons, respectively. To surpass Senna, Lauda and Stewart, who won his third title in his eighth season, he will have to add one more title in the extensive career that lies ahead of him. A perfectly achievable challenge for the best pilot of these new times. Long live Max.