Max Verstappen has been the racer to beat in Formula One since 2021. He has won back-to-back three titles. The Dutchman is on his way to repeat Sebastian Vettel’s domination in the sport with the same team. Red Bull had the fastest car back in the period between 2010 and 2013. They won every title during that period, and nobody thought their domination would end drastically. But it did as Mercedes took over the hegemony on the grid and ruled it for eight long years. Vettel won four titles in a row. He kept getting better every season between 2010 and 2013.
But then Lewis Hamilton came out as the most dominating driver on the grid. The Briton won six titles between 2014 and 2020. He could have won the title in 2021 as well if it had not been for Max Verstappen, who beat him narrowly in the epic Abu Dhabi GP. Now, the Dutch driver would not like to stop winning titles at any point like the previous Red Bull champion. However, the McLaren team boss doubts Verstappen’s ability to dominate the 2024 season as well as he did last year.
Andrea Stella Skeptical About Max Verstappen Repeating His Dominant 2023 Form
Max Verstappen won 19 races last season. But would it have been possible if he was driving a McLaren and not a Red Bull? Andrea Stella thinks Max would not be a champion driving a McLaren. Recently, in an interview with Auto, Motor, and Sport, the McLaren boss said an excellent driver like the Dutchman also can only do as well as the material allows him to do. Moreover, Stella regards the comination of Red Bull and Max Verstappen is way better than them at present. But the McLaren boss said they have to beat them. Moreover, Stella said that Red Bull is so fast that they can make the performance possible. But any driver with McLaren’s car can’t get the performance, especially in the second part of stints.
In Stella’s words, it is practically impossible to be as fast as Red Bull at the moment. However, the McLaren boss gives Max Verstappen credit where he truly deserves. Stella mentioned it is essential to separate the car from the driver. And what Max does differently is that he performs at an extremely high level, even in the most unfavorable conditions. Moreover, the McLaren team principal said Max Verstappen showed his class in the Dutch GP and the Brazilian GP last year. It was raining at Zandvoort and during Q3 in Brazil, conditions change generally.
The Dutchman Proved How Fast Red Bull Can Go If Handled Perfectly
If it was not for Max Verstappen, then Red Bull would never win 21 races last year. Everybody saw how inconsistent Sergio Perez was in the last two seasons. It would not matter if a driver who’s unskilled to handle a fast car like RB19. Clearly, Red Bull managed to develop the fastest car on the grid.
But the right driver needed to steer the car and that’s what makes the Dutchman so special. That’s the reason why he is able to win so many races over the past couple of years. Max is unique as he’s the most competitive and consistent driver on the grid at the moment. It would be hard to beat the combination of Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the next few years.