Formula 1: Max Verstappen completely transformed his dominance in 2024
As a seasoned Formula 1 enthusiast with years of following the sport, I must say, I’ve never been more captivated by a driver’s journey than Max Verstappen‘s. The 2024 season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, filled with nail-biting finishes, heartwarming comebacks, and the unwavering resilience of a true champion.
Some may have initially considered Lando Norris’ first Formula 1 Grand Prix win in Miami as an unexpected, one-time success.
In some perspectives, it could be argued that the Miami Grand Prix slipped out of reach for Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen due to factors such as an unexpected safety car deployment, an uncommon entry of the safety car onto the track, and the impact damage his RB20 sustained from a rare error that led him to crash into a bollard. This viewpoint suggests that luck favored McLaren’s driver in this race, who had previously failed to secure a victory during his first five seasons in Formula 1.
In the year 2023, despite his dominance throughout the season, Max Verstappen found himself off the first place on the podium at the conclusion of three different race weekends.
But McLaren’s pace at Imola the following race proved that the tides had indeed turned.
For approximately a month and a half, Verstappen effectively managed the situation and came out victorious at Imola against Norris, who was relentlessly pressing forward and undeniably faster. He repeated this triumph in Spain as well.
Additionally, he triumphed in Canada as well. This time, a strategically placed safety car worked to his benefit. However, his sole loss during this period occurred in Monaco, a race where he didn’t make a single pass within the top 10 throughout the entire event.
Over ten straight races, I found myself on the losing side of the track, a stark contrast to my previous success where I had claimed victory in 27 out of 33 races. During this challenging phase, not once did the Red Bull seem to outpace its competitors, appearing consistently third fastest among the pack.
The warning signs were there since Miami, and all of a sudden, Verstappen couldn’t win.
Since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, he hadn’t driven the fastest car overall, and from July to October of 2020, this was the longest streak without a win for him, which was also the first such streak since he joined Red Bull back in 2016.
The sky might have been falling – for anybody other than Verstappen.
During the Miami Grand Prix up until the conclusion of his 10-race losing streak, Max Verstappen was trailing only Pierre Gasly by a mere difference of five points in terms of scoring.
During that same stretch, McLaren outscored Red Bull by 153 points. Even Ferrari beat them by 69.
Verstappen’s aggressive, relentless approach to racing often leaves critics struggling to find flaws in other drivers during on-track incidents. At times, his tactics may indeed be warranted.
Instead of searching elsewhere, focus on the incidents involving Verstappen – with Norris in Austria and Hamilton in Hungary. Interestingly, these confrontations had unexpected outcomes: In Austria, Norris was eliminated from the race following their encounter, which ultimately benefited Verstappen. On the other hand, his clash with Hamilton in Hungary resulted in lost positions and valuable points for him.
Despite some challenging phases during his losing streak, Verstappen figured out how to regroup effectively. This was necessary when it became apparent that his car could no longer compete from the front row and sprint ahead, with other racers fighting for second place instead.
He started to consistently take a slower than usual race car and finish one or two spots up the road than he probably should have.
Despite not being expected to do so, he managed to secure a second-place finish at the British Grand Prix, narrowly behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. This was due to his skillful driving in varying weather conditions and some errors made by other racers.
Despite receiving a grid penalty, he surprisingly outperformed Norris in the Belgian Grand Prix, ending up ahead, although his final position was fourth.
At the Circuit of the Americas, making Norris commit an error that secured his position on the podium is another instance where he seizes an opportunity. If victory was within reach, he would go for it; even if it didn’t result in a race win.
The only “controversy” surrounding that move was concocted by those looking to criticize, unwilling to accept the fact that Verstappen had once again outmaneuvered and outclassed his rival in a faster race car.
Over time, Verstappen has grown increasingly ready to seize opportunities consistently, rather than pushing for a victory with a car that ranks sixth in performance.
Since his attempts at outmaneuvering Norris in Mexico didn’t yield success (in fact, it happened twice during the same lap), and delving into his past, such tactics haven’t typically led to positive outcomes for him, even given his historically impressive track record.
But during that 10-race losing streak, no driver had a better worse finish than Verstappen: sixth.
During that period, he had the top-tier average placement of 4.0 in Formula 1 (it wasn’t a tie with Norris).
That’s why he’s a four-time world champion. That’s why the title battle isn’t going to Abu Dhabi.
An intriguing aspect, and it’s important to clarify that this isn’t meant with any disregard for Norris, is that whenever Norris emerged victorious during Verstappen’s 10-race losing streak, the media started calculating where Verstappen needed to place in order to win the world championship, assuming Norris would win every remaining race.
In Zandvoort and Singapore, Norris’ commanding performances significantly influenced the calculations for the remaining nine races and the last six races respectively.
But the reality of it is that having the fastest car, which McLaren certainly had coming off of those events, doesn’t always translate to finishing on the top step of the podium. And Verstappen’s 2024 season has forced even his most staunch critics to take notice.
We’re looking at you, Sky Sports.
He consistently took advantage of what was at hand, without fundamentally altering his approach. From Miami onwards, he has outscored Norris by 36 points, despite the fact that his car ranks fourth – not even third – in terms of points scored during the past 18 races.
In an unexpected twist, Red Bull found themselves excluded from the constructor championship race during the Qatar Grand Prix, despite having the sixth highest odds (+850) of winning coming into the weekend. Remarkably, it was Max Verstappen who clinched victory in this instance, marking his 29th career win. However, it’s worth noting that the car he drove did not secure the constructor championship for the same year.
Amongst all Formula 1 racing history, no driver has claimed more victories than Michael Schumacher. As a seven-time world champion and holder of 91 Grand Prix wins, he secured 32 race victories during seasons when his team didn’t clinch the constructor championship.
In the face of Red Bull’s difficulties, Verstappen’s performance exceeded what many expected from him in both 2022 and 2023, as he managed to win an impressive total of 34 races – a number greater than any other driver has ever achieved in a three-year span.
But the 27-year-old reminded everybody that he’s still the third winningest driver in Formula 1 history as well.
It’s not just about the thirds and fourths. Even in the RB20.
When Norris clinched pole position in Brazil and Verstappen found himself starting from P17 due to a red flag incident during qualifying and an additional grid penalty, spectators were informed that this race could potentially alter the dynamics of the championship. At that juncture, Verstappen held a 44-point lead over Norris.
As a devoted fan, I can’t help but exclaim that the race we just witnessed on Sky Sports is the one that fans will remember as the race solidifying Norris’s championship win. It’s this very contest, happening at this exact moment, that holds such significance.
It was the one, alright. But not for Norris.
In the rainy conditions, Verstappen skillfully maneuvered his way from seventeenth position to first place, clinching a victory for the first time in over four months. This triumph, almost sealing the world championship, occurred on a day when Norris was trailing by only 19 points. However, following this race, the gap expanded to 62 points, an increase of 10 points compared to the margin before Norris’ victory at Miami.
Norris hasn’t finished ahead of his title rival since. Because Verstappen hasn’t stopped there.
In simpler terms, during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen and Red Bull once again had a less-than-exciting performance. However, he executed the necessary moves to secure his fourth world championship by finishing fifth before Norris in sixth position.
In Qatar, at Lusail track, which was thought to be unfavorable for Red Bull given their recent dip in overall performance, Verstappen displayed the form he had in 2022 and 2023. Although it wasn’t as commanding as some of his other victories, he managed to keep a steady lead over Norris throughout the race, led every single lap, and avoided the critical mistake that Norris made during the caution period.
On this occasion, collecting the fragments was equivalent to triumphing – a victory marking the first success in dry weather since late June.
In simpler terms, people keep chuckling at Verstappen for his suggestions and predictions, some not even originated by him, about him winning the world championship this year if he were driving a McLaren or Ferrari, both of which are still competing for the constructors’ title.
Yet every single metric shows that he probably would have.
1) This driver currently boasts triple the number of victories compared to the second-most successful racer, who’s driving the third-placed car in the constructor rankings. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez seems likely to end up as the least successful teammate of a world champion since 1994. (Paraphrased from your original sentence)
Although claiming the championship with Mercedes might be challenging, given the unpredictable characteristics of the W15, it’s essential to remember that if Verstappen were driving for any other team, he wouldn’t have to contend with the competition from his own Red Bull counterpart.
Regardless of whether Red Bull adds a new driver capable of surpassing Perez consistently, they still might end up fourth in the rankings due to the significant gap between Perez and Hamilton/George Russell.
In a slower car, Verstappen has a high probability of successfully arranging multiple podium finishes over a period of 19 weeks, despite not winning a single race during that timeframe.
The 2024 season proved exactly that.
Brazil proved Max Verstappen is still Max Verstappen.
And Qatar proved both.
The 2024 Formula 1 season is due to end this coming Sunday, December 8, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This event will be aired live on ESPN2 from Yas Marina Circuit starting at 7:55 a.m. ET. Sign up for a free trial of FuboTV today and ensure you don’t miss any of the excitement!
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2024-12-02 16:02