Verstappen is a champion. By right. Don’t underestimate his achievements

How to evaluate the current Formula 1 season? Probably one of the most boring in recent years. Even during Mercedes’ dominance, Lewis Hamilton faced more competition from Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg, and sometimes from Ferrari. Not to mention the magical 2021 season. We probably won’t see this kind of competition for a very long time (if at all). So what do Max Verstappen and Red Bull care about in this regard? They’re just doing their job. And they do it flawlessly.

This is bad for both F1 fans and Formula 1 itself, which has suffered a significant loss in television ratings and social media in 2023. However, despite a dull season, we should not underestimate Verstappen’s achievements. There are very few sports anymore where we can see such perfect dominance. Red Bull’s car is called a “self-transporter” but that’s simply not true. A lot depends on the level of the driver and we saw this in the example of Bottas, we also see it in the example of Sergio Perez. Let’s remember the last time Verstappen made a serious mistake. I only remember the problems with qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, where a mistake and a coincidence of circumstances (red flags) led to the start of the race from 9th place. However, in the race, Verstappen destroyed Perez (including psychologically) and began a winning streak that spanned ten stages.

The drive has reached an incredible level; He delivered first-class performances in qualifying, in races, in the rain (and there were more wet stages than ever this year) and in unpredictable situations. Of course, the car helps him in this regard, but Max is objectively already among the best F1 drivers in history. This was acknowledged by both rivals (Lewis Hamilton called Max outstanding) and former world champions.

“Verstappen is in incredible form. His level of aerobatics and records are unreal. He’s already approaching the top five drivers in history. Fangio, Schumacher, Senna, Hamilton…” says Nico Rosberg.

And we should not underestimate the achievements of the pilot, who showed that other athletes cannot repeat them at the moment. In fact, this season Max single-handedly brought the Constructors’ Championship to Red Bull. Without Sergio Perez, it has collected more points than Mercedes, Ferrari and others. Verstappen, 26, is a three-time world champion and has broken a ton of records, and has nearly 10 years of a top-flight career ahead of him (if Max wants it), meaning Hamilton and Schumacher’s records may yet be rewritten. . Of course, I would like to see Verstappen in a serious fight with his rivals again. Just like in 2021, the Dutchman was far from perfect in his clash with Hamilton. However, the fact that other teams cannot produce a fast car is not the driver’s or Red Bull’s problem.

Those who have followed Formula 1 for a long time know that great seasons in the sport are only occasionally interrupted by seasons dominated by a single team and a single driver. There was the Schumacher era, then there was the Vettel era, then there was the Hamilton era. Now it’s time for Verstappen and Red Bull. In the transitions between periods, we may have a bright championship fight between Alonso – Schumacher, Hamilton – Vettel or Verstappen – Hamilton, but mostly we see one of the best teams and those who catch up with it.

Can we say that the Red Bull era has now arrived? Experts and pilots have different opinions. Some think we are doomed to watch the Bulls dominate until 2026, when there will be new engine regulations. Some believe the rivals stayed one more winter to improve the car until the Bulls finally solidified their advantage. Mercedes has already announced that it will completely redesign the car concept for 2024. Traditionally, Ferrari, which only makes promises, is not believed. McLaren’s progress is encouraging, but it’s worth noting that the British team continues to update the current car, while Red Bull has long been committed to the 2024 season.

There is no doubt that the rivals will try to close the gap and Red Bull will do everything to stay ahead. In the meantime, Verstappen and his team can celebrate their championship title. Well-deserved titles.