Max Verstappen. | Photo: Getty Images
In elite sports, climbing to the top is one of the hardest things. It is the culmination of years of hard work that starts very early.
While reaching the peak is one thing, remaining there is more challenging. How someone reacts to competition and maintains the stranglehold on the numero uno status separates the good from the elite. Last Saturday in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen showed why he was considered the best of his generation and also made a case for being one of the greatest the sport has seen by clinching his fourth consecutive drivers’ title.
Though the Dutchman managed to win the crown with two rounds to spare — the penultimate round will be run in Qatar this weekend — the fourth one was not as straightforward as he made it to be. The 27-year-old’s maiden title came after the most thrilling championship decider in the sport’s 75-year history as it was settled on the last lap. But it will always carry an asterisk against it as the Race Director’s incorrect application of rules allowed Verstappen to pass seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. In 2022 and ’23, Red Bull’s superior car powered helped Verstappen win at a canter.
He started strongly in the leap year, winning four out of the first five races when Red Bull continued to be the fastest on the grid. But once McLaren bolted its upgrades in Miami and became the best all-round car, Verstappen’s wins in Imola, Canada and Spain in a slightly slower machine built a cushion that was enough to repel a late-season challenge from Lando Norris.
After Barcelona (round 10), the energy drink giant went through the next 10 races without a win even as McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari stepped up a gear. During this phase, Verstappen maximised everything by limiting his damage on tough weekends even as Norris and McLaren left points on the table due to driver and team errors.
To illustrate further, Verstappen has 403 points compared to teammate Sergio Perez’s 152 (eighth in standings).
In Brazil, Verstappen put on a wet-weather masterclass, charging from 17th on the grid to win his eighth race of the year and snuffing out Norris’ slim hopes.
It was a microcosm of the season in which Verstappen’s prodigious talent came to the fore even in treacherous conditions and showed the world why he is unequivocally the best driver on the grid.
Published – November 30, 2024 12:06 am IST
