Max Verstappen - The road to Champion

[Nitrodaze]

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/05/23/USAT/f7ecd415-35af-48a5-a856-9da3a15772ea-monaco.jpg

Reminiscent of Young Fernando Alonso winning his first Monaco grandprix in 2006, driving the Mild Seven-Renault; Renault R26 2.4 liter V8. Alonso had three prior disastrous visits to Monaco, but his win in Monaco which was his second in a run of four consecutive wins that season, saw him comprehensively beat the incumbent Michael Schumacher, who incidentallly also did not finish on the podium in that race. Alonso went on to win his second and last driver's World chamionship that season.

That race parallels Verstapens Monaco win. Monaco had been a boggey track for Verstappen in the past, like 2006, the incumbent Lewis Hamilton was comprehensively beaten and was not on the podium like Schumacher before him. But this race win speaks of a different story. It demonstrates the coming of age of the racer in Verstappen and annouces to the entire F1 world that he is a genuine and serious contender for the 2021 drivers title. And he won the race with such maturity that dispells any doubt of his chances of winning the title this season.

Verstappen now leads the drivers leader board by four but very important points. And Redbull has found themselves consequentially propelled to the top of the constructors championship. As we head to another fast flowing street circuit in Baku, where Mercedes would still have the same issues that put them off the top of both championship, all signs suggests that Redbull and Verstappen are set to extend their lead at the top.

Baku is going to be an interesting race, as Baku has typically been a Mercedes track; a Bottas track to be specific. It is imperative for Redbull to win this race, as it is imperative for Mercedes to recover from their Monaco disaster. In a sense, Baku could easily be a race that would indicate how this season may end.

Another observation in Monaco is that, the Mercedes team is beginning to show signs of Deminishing Return. They are showing fragility on the strategic front and have had a consistently poor pitcrew since the last quarter of the 2020 season. The rut in the Mercedes pit just seems to be getting worst. And could be the very chink in the Mercedes armour that would hand one or both of the championship titles to Redbull and Verstappen. Monaco was a race that showed how much the new regulations has hurt Mercedes. They have been able to work around it on other tracks, but the unforgiving and punishing track of Monaco, took the Mercedes Chassis to its basic core.

Whichever way you look at it, Verstappen is the golden boy of F1 at the moment. And he has a fantastic chance to cause an upset and win his first F1 world championship. This is a chance that he cannot afford to miss. But it would be pure folly to dispell Mercedes and Hamilton at this early stages of the 2021 season

[Zico]

I thought Max was 4 points clear.
It looks to me that the RB is a good 1 lap car but the Merc generally has better race pace. Unless RB can improve their race pace I reckon Lewis will win it without too much drama.

[Nitrodaze]

I thought Max was 4 points clear.
It looks to me that the RB is a good 1 lap car but the Merc generally has better race pace. Unless RB can improve their race pace I reckon Lewis will win it without too much drama.

Well spotted, l meant Redbull was one point clear of Mercedes. Yes, four point clear of Hamilton, leaving Mercedes scratching their heads. The Mercedes race pace is strong but there would be tracks like Monaco that would expose the inherent weakness in the chassis.

[airshifter]

Monaco is a track that is well suited to the current (and some past) RB cars. Max did a great job and I think that most likely he would have beat Leclerc's time as well as possibly Bottas had the session not been red flagged. He has matured well with time, and I think given the right car he can certainly race with the best around these days.

But I think it's premature to see where the car performance will leave him this year. Right now I think Merc still have the overall upper hand, but not by much. Long term if the cars stay this close it will be a head game with Max and Lewis... who can keep their cool and just drive and deal with the pressure. Lewis hasn't had to deal with this as much in recent years due to the car issue, so really since Nico managed to beat him once that has ended with car performance and a weaker team mate challenge. Max on the other hand has been working with a lesser car for years, to is more accustomed to taking his lumps with being down on power and such. But he's hungry, and having a car close or equal to the Merc is going to fire him up. The question is will he be able to deal with it.... we might see this season.

[Nitrodaze]

Lucky man. What a let-off with Hamilton's mistake at Baku. We could have been going into France with Verstappen behind by 18 points minimum. But he goes into France still in the lead with four points. The racing gods may have been smiling down on him l would say. But this is how winning happens. When the opposition cannot capitalize on your setbacks. We have seen that time and time again with Hamilton.

That said, the tyre puncture at Baku could prove very costly for Verstappen through the next five races where Mercedes would definitely be mighty.

[F1nKS]

At the end of the season, I think Red Bull will look back on the first 6 races and see they left a lot of points on the table.

Now if Perez has really figured things out and if Bottas is going full Vettel, I could see Hamilton winning the driver championship and Red Bull winning the constructors.

There are a lot of "ifs". But at least it gives us a lot to talk about.

[Nitrodaze]

At the end of the season, I think Red Bull will look back on the first 6 races and see they left a lot of points on the table.

Now if Perez has really figured things out and if Bottas is going full Vettel, I could see Hamilton winning the driver championship and Red Bull winning the constructors.

There are a lot of "ifs". But at least it gives us a lot to talk about.

Mercedes are very weak on the constructors front. Hence l can see that happening. However, there is no guarantee that Hamilton would win it either. They operating at a ragged edge at the moment which causes lots of mistakes. We are seeing uncharacteristic errors at most levels of the Mercedes operation.

[Bagwan]

Mercedes are very weak on the constructors front. Hence l can see that happening. However, there is no guarantee that Hamilton would win it either. They operating at a ragged edge at the moment which causes lots of mistakes. We are seeing uncharacteristic errors at most levels of the Mercedes operation.

Or , they are strong enough that they can dangle it in front of the others , then snatch it from their grasp .

Did you notice how strong Aston looked ?

[Nitrodaze]

Or , they are strong enough that they can dangle it in front of the others , then snatch it from their grasp .

Did you notice how strong Aston looked ?

The long straights of Baku made the Aston Martin look better than they really are. Like the Mercedes, they suffered through the twisty parts of the circuit which was why Vettel could not trouble Perez. The Alpha Tauris were brilliant through the twisty bits but suffered on the long straights of Baku. So there was nothing usual going on there.

[Bagwan]

The long straights of Baku made the Aston Martin look better than they really are. Like the Mercedes, they suffered through the twisty parts of the circuit which was why Vettel could not trouble Perez. The Alpha Tauris were brilliant through the twisty bits but suffered on the long straights of Baku. So there was nothing usual going on there.

I am going to assume you meant "unusual" there in your last line , but you kind of made my point at the same time .

That Merc lump is fat enough to make that Aston look good on those straights . Of course they couldn't keep up with the bulls with that thing in the corners but it demonstrates the grunt .
Remember that extra second in Monaco ?

They had lots of time to cook up the "magic" story after Max went off , and the move didn't damage the car at all .
I think they would have left Lewis in second had Max not lost the tire , but neither of them scoring is almost as good a result if you're trying to keep your opponent looking strong for the cameras .

[Nitrodaze]

I am going to assume you meant "unusual" there in your last line , but you kind of made my point at the same time .

That Merc lump is fat enough to make that Aston look good on those straights . Of course they couldn't keep up with the bulls with that thing in the corners but it demonstrates the grunt .
Remember that extra second in Monaco ?

They had lots of time to cook up the "magic" story after Max went off , and the move didn't damage the car at all .
I think they would have left Lewis in second had Max not lost the tire , but neither of them scoring is almost as good a result if you're trying to keep your opponent looking strong for the cameras .

I don't think anyone doubts that the Mercedes engine is the fastest; if they can transmit the power to the tarmac effectively. But they can't due to the chassis. Are they faking it, l think no. But l am enjoying your conspiracy theories about it. Mercedes and Hamilton may find a way to win the championship as they did with Ferrari in 2018. Then you would only say l told you it was staged.

At this point in time, l am having doubts that they would win both championships. It would be a feat of performance for them to achieve that and a serious blow to Redbull and Horner. Wolff will enjoy rubbing Horner face in the dirt, if Mercedes comes on top after Abu Dhabi. As Horner would enjoy doing vice versa.

The Aston would be great in the next five races, which suites the Mercedes chassis platform. It would be interesting to see how Vettel would fair against Stroll on those tracks.

[Bagwan]

Remember , Hamilton is up for contract renewal .
Just sayin' .

[Nitrodaze]

Can Verstappen beat the Meastro Lewis Hamilton at Paul Ricard? It would take something very special to do that or a stroke of luck. Providence has favoured Verstappen of late. Even when he has bad luck, he comes out of it lucky.

[Nitrodaze]

Can Verstappen beat the Meastro Lewis Hamilton at Paul Ricard? It would take something very special to do that or a stroke of luck. Providence has favoured Verstappen of late. Even when he has bad luck, he comes out of it lucky.

Well, he bloody well did. Thumbs up Max.

[Bagwan]

Well, he bloody well did. Thumbs up Max.

Aren't you mad about it , because of the new rules penalizing the low rake concept ?
Was it not a hollow victory from that point of view ?

[Fortitude]

I don't think anyone doubts that the Mercedes engine is the fastest...

I have it on good authority, that they do have a problem with it...

[The Black Knight]

Aren't you mad about it , because of the new rules penalizing the low rake concept ?
Was it not a hollow victory from that point of view ?

Well they clearly were designed to penalise Mercedes and address their dominance. When rule changes like this target a team directly then the adage "it's the same for everyone" doesn't really apply because, although the rules are the same, the performance hit is greater for one team than it is for the other, the situation for either team is different.

[Nitrodaze]

Aren't you mad about it , because of the new rules penalizing the low rake concept ?
Was it not a hollow victory from that point of view ?

On the contrary, l am happy for Verstappen. He still had to go out there and win it. Which is not easy considering whom he is going up against. He did well!

[Nitrodaze]

I have it on good authority, that they do have a problem with it...

What sort of problem? Did they turn the engine down for the French GP?

[airshifter]

It's still a long season. More than anything strategy gave Max the chance for the win in France. With Lewis stuck on the old tires, he couldn't even really mount a defense once Max caught back up to him on track. The team really just didn't make the right call, and should have realized earlier in the race that RB could go for 2 stops. When wear is that high and grip is low, someone is going to do it.

[Nitrodaze]

The finish line is in sight, with twelve points and the potential to increase that gap to Hamilton this weekend at Mexico City. it is looking very rosy for Verstappen. But the next four races is where his mettle would be truly tested. So far, he has shown an impressive resolve and undaunted determination to prevail. Like the last set in tennis or the final 5 minutes of a football match where things can quickly change. The young challenger would need to keep his head against a multiple world champion that thrives in these situations.

Even at this point of the season, Verstappen has earned the respect of everyone in the racing world. But winning the driver's championship will propel him to the sort of stardom that Alonso enjoys.

The tenuous question is, can he pull it off?

Hamilton has yet to assert himself effectively and he still has time to get his mojo together. If he can find his perfection, he can give Versdtappen a real headache. With the sort of crashes we have seen, there is a good chance that we may have a championship-deciding crash as we head into Abu Dhabi. This season is set for a very controversial ending. The stuff of history.

[Nitrodaze]

After watching Schumacher on Netflix. I can see how Verstappen shows all the signs of the early Schumacher. The speed, fearlessness and stubborn determination to win. Like Schumacher, he is taking the fight to a seven times multiple world champion. But also on a grid with a few world champions present. From Vettel, to Alonso to Raikonen.

[Nitrodaze]

By hook and crook, he has put himself ahead of the 2021 driver's championship. He has watched the inevitable dwindling of his once handsome lead by the relentless seven times world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton. And he heads into the last two races from back to back losses to Hamilton in the last two races. The Redbull thunder seems to be fizzling out when he needs it the most. But he knows he has the speed to win it given a competitive car.

The racing world wonders if Max Verstappen can do it. Can he beat the current GOAT of F1?

With eight points in hand, it is still a very tall order but without any dodgy driving, does he have a chance. Would he need to take Hamilton out in the first corner to be champion? Because the recent trend suggests that he cannot win it honestly with a clean fight on the race track. The Redbull cars are fading backwards and are yet to find an answer to Mercedes.

With desperation redlined, the next two races are going to be something to behold. We are yet to find out what Verstappen is made of. What sort of racer he is. And what sort of values drives his quest for F1 glory.

We know Hamilton and what he was prepared to do when all hopes of winning the 2016 title fell to the very last race. That very slow lap as he backed Rosberg into the pack hoping Ferrari's Vettel would overtake Rosberg and try to win the race. A move that would have made the possibility of winning a reality.

But the situation today is different. This is a Senna vs Prost situation. In 2016, Hamilton was behind on the points and needed to make Rosberg lose points. On this occasion, Verstappen is ahead eight points with two races to go. They have got into two previous crashes where the Mercedes in Hamilton's hands were going to win those races if those crashes did not happen. Can he pull another one off? He only needs one. It is quite clear the stewards are turning a blind eye to all of Verstappen's antics. So we are going to either witness the greatest comeback in Hamilton or the greatest survival in Verstappen. We hope without the help of dodgy STEWARDING but clean wheel to wheel racing.

[gm99]

What are those two crashes instigated by Verstappen that prevented Hamilton from winning you keep referring to? Monza I get (although one can argue if Lewis would have won there given his position in the race at the time of the accident), but what was the other one?

[Zico]

What are those two crashes instigated by Verstappen that prevented Hamilton from winning you keep referring to? Monza I get (although one can argue if Lewis would have won there given his position in the race at the time of the accident), but what was the other one?

I suspect he is getting a bit mixed up and referring to Silverstone... where apparently Max should have been more respectful, not turned in.. and gotten right out of the way like Charles did. Leaving a cars width in room as per the rules, wasn't good enough.

Yep, the different rules that apply for Lewis and the sense of entitlement is astounding.

[Nitrodaze]

I suspect he is getting a bit mixed up and referring to Silverstone... where apparently Max should have been more respectful, not turned in.. and gotten right out of the way like Charles did. Leaving a cars width in room as per the rules, wasn't good enough.


Yes, l was referring to Silverstone, but not implying blame per se. I think the current situation is red hot and another crash is highly likely to happen. How and why is the next controversy to be discussed on this forum. I hope Verstappen fans on the forum [not naming names] are satisfied.

I expect Verstappen to be super aggressive to beat Hamiton in his current form. And the next crash would originate from two possible sources; firstly, Hamilton's aggressive defence, now rubber-stamped [Sao Paolo] by the stewards. Or from Verstappen's aggressive attack also rubber-stamped [Silverstone] by the stewards. The recipe for a crash has been inadvertently created by the inconsistency of the stewards.


Yep, the different rules that apply for Lewis and the sense of entitlement is astounding.

You are consistent l would say. Hence no comment.

[Zico]

Yes, l was referring to Silverstone, but not implying blame per se. I think the current situation is red hot and another crash is highly likely to happen. How and why is the next controversy to be discussed on this forum. I hope Verstappen fans on the forum [not naming names] are satisfied.

I expect Verstappen to be super aggressive to beat Hamiton in his current form. And the next crash would originate from two possible sources; firstly, Hamilton's aggressive defence, now rubber-stamped [Sao Paolo] by the stewards. Or from Verstappen's aggressive attack also rubber-stamped [Silverstone] by the stewards. The recipe for a crash has been inadvertently created by the inconsistency of the stewards.

Think you have these a bit the wrong way round too dude. Lewis was the attacker and Max the defender at Silverstone.



You are consistent l would say. Hence no comment.

Thanks, I do try, it is probably a bit easier being a neutral. :)



Yes, it wouldn't surprise me at all if these two tangle again, in fact its almost guaranteed. They are both equally determined and although Lewis will probably have the better package for the remaining two races, Max has the luxury of being able to do a Schumacher/Senna 'do or die', which Lewis must avoid at all costs as even if he wins in Jeddah with fastest lap, while he will have the exact same points as Max, he will still have one less win overall.

[Nitrodaze]

Think you have these a bit the wrong way round too dude. Lewis was the attacker and Max the defender at Silverstone.
As always, you fail to understand what you have read





Thanks, I do try, it is probably a bit easier being a neutral. :)
Anti-Hamilton and anti-Perez posts do not represent a neutral position. You are as neutral as Donald Trump.




Yes, it wouldn't surprise me at all if these two tangle again, in fact its almost guaranteed. They are both equally determined and although Lewis will probably have the better package for the remaining two races, Max has the luxury of being able to do a Schumacher/Senna 'do or die', which Lewis must avoid at all costs as even if he wins in Jeddah with fastest lap, while he will have the exact same points as Max, he will still have one less win overall.

This championship is set to be one of the most controversial in recent memory, l think.

[Zico]

As always, you fail to understand what you have read

No, I'm sure I'm not the only one who will find your previous statement just as muddled and confusing as I did.

Hamiltons aggressive defense (Sao Paulo) and Max's aggressive attack (Silverstone)... Eh?

No...

Max's aggressive attack (Sao Paulo) and Lewis' aggressive attack (Silverstone)... or even Max's aggressive defence (Silverstone) would have made much more sense.

I do agree with the gist of what you were trying to say though.



Anti-Hamilton and anti-Perez posts do not represent a neutral position. You are as neutral as Donald Trump.

Everyone has a bias, intentional or not, even me... but comparing me with Trump? That might be offensive if it wasn't so ridiculous! :D
You have publicly stated before that you will ALWAYS defend Hamilton no matter what, so by your own admission you are one of the most biased posters on here. I'm still far more towards neutral than you will ever be.

[Nitrodaze]

No, I'm sure I'm not the only one who will find your previous statement just as muddled and confusing as I did.

Hamiltons aggressive defense (Sao Paulo) and Max's aggressive attack (Silverstone)... Eh?

No...

Max's aggressive attack (Sao Paulo) and Lewis' aggressive attack (Silverstone)... or even Max's aggressive defence (Silverstone) would have made much more sense.

I do agree with the gist of what you were trying to say though.




Everyone has a bias, intentional or not, even me... but comparing me with Trump? That might be offensive if it wasn't so ridiculous! :D
You have publicly stated before that you will ALWAYS defend Hamilton no matter what, so by your own admission you are one of the most biased posters on here. I'm still far more towards neutral than you will ever be.

If you stop looking at stuff from an anti-Hamilton perspective then you would find that you have completely misunderstood the post. But l shall not comment on your posts about this any further. You are being slow in the head buddy.

[Nitrodaze]

The fiesty young challenger goes into the last race of the season seeing his handsome 25 points lead evaporate over the last three races. Each of those three races was dotted with controversy. And the last race saw him come under enormous criticism from even his good friends in the media. With barely a week to process all of it, he heads into Abu Dhabi with a slender advantage of having the most wins. But that only matters if both himself and Hamilton have a DNF. Otherwise, he has to win the race somehow.

Based on the pace of the Mercedes at Jeddah, we could chance a guess that Mercedes might be strong at Yas Marina. But the pace of the Redbull was not shabby either. So it is not outside the realms of possibility that Verstappen wins the race. But what are the odds of this happening, l ask?

Does Mercedes still have enough fresh engines to trouble Redbull? If not, are the engine available to Mercedes with enough life to make it to the end of the race? The Mercedes engine has shown that it may have a short life compared to the Honda engine. Hence, could engine failure play a part in determining who wins the title?

The flip side is the ominous potential a fresh enough engine in Hamilton's hands. The prospect of that means it may be an uphill battle for Redbull and Verstappen. But we have seen some truly brilliant drives from Verstappen. If he wants to be a world champion, he would have to dig deep and produce something extraordinary to beat Hamilton on Sunday. If he could do that, he would be one of the most celebrated drivers of this era of F1 racing. The interesting thing is that he has that capability in him. He is capable of producing Sennaesque drives when he is in the zone.

That said he is going up against one of the most formidable racers in F1 history. The dangerous thing about this duel is that Hamilton is still as hungry as ever to win. Hence it would not be easy at all if Mercedes do their usual great preparation for the race. And Hamilton turns up with his A-game. Also, anything is possible during the race. From strategic errors to car damage from midfield drivers while lapping them. There is also the explosive battle between Verstappen and Hamilton which could end in tears for both or one of them.

Hence, it is not quite so clear who would win the 2021 driver's championship.

[denkimi]

Otherwise, he has to win the race somehow.

neither of them has to win the race, they just need to end in front of the other and within top 10.

but is suspect one of them is going to win anyway.

[Firstgear]

neither of them has to win the race, they just need to end in front of the other and within top 10.

but is suspect one of them is going to win anyway.
Actually Max doesn't even need to do that much. If Lewis is out of the points, Max doesn't even need to finish.
But I agree with your second sentence.

[Nitrodaze]

neither of them has to win the race, they just need to end in front of the other and within top 10.

but is suspect one of them is going to win anyway.

I agree, mathematically, one has to finish ahead of the other in the top eight, taking bonus point for fastest lap into consideration.

[Nitrodaze]

Verstappen stares at the possibility of a first F1 driver's title as a non-fictional reality. He would seat at the front of the grid into the open tarmac ahead and wish it would be unhindered until the finish flag is waved. It would be an unbearably long race and one he has to keep his wits about him at all points through the long race.

It is exciting that we take this journey with him. He is actually the underdog and we all route for him when he is well behaved.

[The Black Knight]

Verstappen stares at the possibility of a first F1 driver's title as a non-fictional reality. He would seat at the front of the grid into the open tarmac ahead and wish it would be unhindered until the finish flag is waved. It would be an unbearably long race and one he has to keep his wits about him at all points through the long race.

It is exciting that we take this journey with him. He is actually the underdog and we all route for him when he is well behaved.

When he is well behaved but I would prefer a driver not be champion in a year where he drove like he did in Jeddah. We'll see later but I think losing the championship today would be better for him in the long run, it'd give him something to think about or he'll only end up like Vettel.

[F1nKS]

Congrats Max!

[Zico]

Yep, congrats Max!

[Nitrodaze]

When he is well behaved but I would prefer a driver not be champion in a year where he drove like he did in Jeddah. We'll see later but I think losing the championship today would be better for him in the long run, it'd give him something to think about or he'll only end up like Vettel.

There is having a chance and there is converting it into a great result. And Verstappen did that today with a lot of low hanging fruit his way.

CONGRATULATION MAX VERSTAPPEN

[The Black Knight]

There is having a chance and there is converting it into a great result. And Verstappen did that today with a lot of low hanging fruit his way.

CONGRATULATION MAX VERSTAPPEN

Nah this championship was decided in the stewards room.

[denkimi]

Nah this championship was decided in the stewards room.
Indeed.
many weird and wrong decisions troughout the year, much interpretation of the rules based on who was involved.

but congrats to max.

[Nitrodaze]

Well, we should hail our new world champion. Hope he can put this whole crap behind him.