When Max Verstappen won his first world title last year, it left a bitter aftertaste. The Dutchman had a good season in which he pushed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to the finish in his Red Bull.
For a long season to decide, the last lap of the last race should be great for the sport. But when a rider emerged as the winner due to a very controversial decision by the race management, critical voices arose. In the eyes of many, including mine, Hamilton has been robbed of a historic eighth title.
This year there was no mention of the issue. After the technical problems in two of the three opening races, it was almost Max Verstappen at the top GP after GP. He now wins the world championship with four races to go.
There are several explanations to the superiority of the 25-year-old. Firstly, Red Bull did well to implement this year’s new car regulation – the team didn’t have the same problems with the porpoise as many others.
Secondly, frankly, the other stables have been very bad. Mercedes, for many years dominant, had to apologize to Hamilton because the car was poor. However, the team still has a chance to take second place in the constructors’ championship. Many thanks to the great disappointment of this year Ferrari.
The Italians started the season brilliantly, but fans have since had to laugh at the jokes on social media at the expense of the team rather than the success. The strategies in several races were amateurish. Like in Spa when Charles Leclerc is told, too late, to make an extra pit stop to try to make the fastest lap of the race (and thus steal a point from Red Bull) but ends up failing and is also penalized for driving too fast into the pit.
With stubborn competitors it is not difficult to win the toilet. But no splendor should be taken away from Max Verstappen. He showed true craftsmanship. In the same Belgian GP he started from grid 14 but was immediately in the lead, who kept the finish line.
The Dutchman has cleaned up some of his youthful exuberance on the track and is now making wise decisions but hasn’t lost his winning instinct on the road. Backed by a competent team and with a skilled colleague of Sergio Perez, one can think that two titles are just the beginning. Singapore’s mistakes of the last time – from the team in qualifying and in the race of Verstappen himself were the exception that proves the rule.
But for next year, I hope that Ferrari will strengthen, that Mercedes will continue on the beaten path and be fully competitive again and that McLaren, Alpine and perhaps other teams will join the fight for GP victories. And then that a more balanced sport is obtained, which, among other things, through a lowered budget ceiling, had already been promised before this year.
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