Max Verstappen is a lot of hope this year, or rather the last hope for Formula 1. At least as far as the fight for the title is concerned, as the young Dutchman is with Red Bullom the first pursuer Lewis Hamilton in Valtteria Bottas, racers Mercedesa. And this despite the fact that he had Exit 2019 in most races only the third best race car in the field. And a former rebel Formula 1, who took care of negative percussion with an impulsive and partly aggressive way of racing, calmed down. He is no longer a well-known rebel and instead of criticism he now only gets praise and recognition for being one of the best racers in the field.
"Well yeah, when we put him in a race car at 16, we had to face the wildest comments,”He remembers Helmut Marko, sports boss Red Bull Racingwhich, however, acknowledges: "It took his time to mature." Verstappen was on the sidelines at the time Red Bull Racing v Formula 1 brought by an accelerated procedure. His first test was exactly a year before his first appearance in the race Formula 1. However Red Bull he didn’t want to wait because the 16-year-old Verstappen had incredible potential. Understandably, there was a fear that the red bulls would lose him in the direction Mercedes Benzbut or Ferrari, who also got to know his exceptional talent.
"He always had speed,He added Marko. And it can be at that speed Verstappen at a young age he shone again and again. Unforgettable is his first victory in Formulas 1, which he achieved in the premiere race for Red Bull v Barcelona. But these surpluses of his were often accompanied by errors. Mistakes that could be prevented with a touch of prudence. Mistakes dragged on and many were critical of the whirlwind Verstappn for a long time. In 2016 and 2017, Verstappen took care of attention mainly with excessive aggression on the track.
Year 2018 however, it started even worse with many collisions, including with a teammate in a race in Baku. Soon after, v Monaco followed by a collision with a protective fence (in the third free practice), which is why Verstappen lost the chance to score well in qualifying - pole position was also in play. This was won by his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who was also the first to cross the finish line on Sunday. Verstappen however, he had to start the race from the background and settle for only ninth place.
Monaco 2018 was for Verstappen a turning point, for since then the quota of his errors has fallen sharply. “From Monaco onwards, he is no longer the same racer,”Menu for example Jacques Villeneuve, which was previously one of the biggest criticisms of the young Dutchman. “His happiness lies in the fact that he had Red Bull and Helmut Mark, who protected him and gave him time to grow up. Because it's not normal to grow up on a big team,He added Villeneuve, for which Verstappen this year the race as world champion. “But the team made it possible for him and that made him so strong. He is now very mature and knows how to race fast and when it is necessary to be aggressive. He also knows when to score points if you can’t fight completely at the top."
"For the race and for the whole racing weekend, you need a certain maturity, how to approach it,”He also says Marko. "He has been doing very well since last year's race in France. No more mistakes, we have a great quota to reach the goal. There is real enthusiasm and joy in the whole team."
This season, meanwhile Verstappen actually boasts an almost perfect balance sheet. Only one unsafe release in Monaco, one collision in training in Austria and a few turns around the track and off. Much more important is the fact that he did not finish any race outside the top five until the summer break this year. No one is racing so constantly this year - either Lewis Hamilton no, for the Briton is in Hockenheim drove the race to oblivion.
Verstappen is in the last race at Hungaroring proved his maturity again. In the final phase of the race, he was already on badly worn tires and with them he had no chance to defend himself against Lewis Hamilton. While it would Verstappen from the past most likely used a brutal defensive maneuver with an uncertain outcome of this duel, today's Verstappen remained calm and brought home another city. The highlight of his maturity, however, was a comment on the radio when, among other things, he calmly said that they had scored good points today. “Losing the race three laps before the end is definitely frustrating, but Max understood the bigger picture. He had the maturity to immediately understand what the script looked like. He's really grown up this year,”He praises his racer Christian horner, team boss Red Bull.
From a racing point of view, this year’s season is for Max Verstappen without a doubt the best. It is almost unbelievable to be able to compete for the title, but it could keep the third place, also thanks to a good engine. Honda. The second place is not so far away either, because for Bottas he is only seven points behind, and between the teams Red Bull za Ferrari, which is second, is 44 points behind. A catchy advantage, but a lot will depend on how many points a teammate will contribute.
