From ‘Mad Max’ to ‘Max the Conqueror’, Verstappen has come a long way

This year he has proved beyond doubt that he is the pre-eminent force in the sport and could well be for a while!

Max Verstappen, being chaired by his Red Bull team after the Japanese Grand Prix, has been head and shoulders above the rest of the field this season. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Max Verstappen deserved a better way of learning that he had sealed his second World crown than hearing it from former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, who was conducting post-race interviews of the top three finishers.

The champion-elect secured his second title after winning the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix last Sunday, but neither he nor his team was sure if he would get the full 25 points as less than 75% of the race distance had been completed.

Place in history

Eventually, he was given full points and secured his place in history as a double World champion even though the confusion — the driver himself termed it ‘funny’ — took the sheen away from his effort on the track in challenging conditions.

Verstappen’s performance in Suzuka was a microcosm of his dominant season. In just 28 laps, the Dutchman managed to finish 27 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, lapping a second quicker than the rest of the grid.

It is in wet conditions that the gap between elite and very good drivers is seen. And, the Red Bull driver showed why he is considered a generational talent.

When he burst onto the scene in 2015, Verstappen was fast and aggressive, pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable on the track and often crashing into other drivers or barriers.

Though he was faster than his former teammate Daniel Ricciardo after joining Red Bull midway through 2016, Verstappen’s impatience handicapped him.

In the first half of 2018, as Ricciardo won two races, Verstappen’s prodigious talent was going waste as he kept getting involved in unsavoury incidents in almost every race.

However, halfway through the year, the youngster cut out the errors and beat his teammate handily.

Since then, Verstappen has been able to refine his craft and it was on display this year as he managed to find the right balance between speed and sensible driving.

Unlike last year, where he felt a need to lay down the marker against seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton — the two ran into each other quite often not willing to cede an inch — Verstappen was hardly in any tussle this year.

Pragmatic approach

It was his pragmatic approach that allowed him to seal the title with four races left despite being down 46 points to his main rival Charles Leclerc after the first three rounds.

While there will always be an asterisk over his maiden triumph in 2021, this year he has proved beyond doubt that he is the preeminent force in Formula One and could well be for a while.