No Formula 1 driver puts pressure on his rivals quite like Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull star did it to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, winning his first title on the last lap of the season and preventing Hamilton from clinching a record eighth F1 title.
Verstappen came close to winning the title again this year, mounting an incredible late charge to crank up the pressure on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Earlier in the season, the McLaren teammates were contesting the F1 title between themselves.
But Verstappen changed all that.
Heading into Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it had become a three-way battle.
Verstappen did all he could.
He won in Abu Dhabi from pole position for a third straight race win, a season-leading eighth and 71st of a stellar career.
It was not quite enough to overtake Norris, who won his first F1 title by placing third in the race and ending up just two points ahead of Verstappen in the standings.
But it showed why Verstappen commands so much awe.
“This Max guy is pretty hard to beat,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky with a large dose of understatement.
One race earlier, at the Qatar GP, Brown had jokingly compared Verstappen to a horror movie ghoul who keeps resurfacing.
“He’s like that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think he’s not coming back, he’s back,” Brown said in a podcast interview before the Qatar race. “What an unbelievable talent he is. He never makes mistakes. He seizes every opportunity. We’ve never thought he was out.”
After winning the Dutch GP on Aug. 31, Piastri led Norris by 34 points and was 104 ahead of Verstappen, who back then had won just two races compared to seven for Piastri. Verstappen took advantage of McLaren’s errors to barge his way back into contention.
“(When) you lose the championship by two points it looks painful. But on the other hand, if you look from where we were in Zandvoort, more than 100 behind, then it’s not too bad,” Verstappen said. “I’m very proud of the whole team. We could have also very easily given up at that point.”
Verstappen is already considered among the F1 greats, alongside Hamilton, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
Despite his relatively young age, the 28-year-old Dutchman is already third all-time for race wins behind Schumacher (91) and Hamilton (105). Verstappen has 127 podium finishes and 48 pole positions — one area where he is not as clinical as Hamilton (a record 104 poles) was in his prime with Mercedes.
When Norris won the Brazil GP sprint race in early November, he moved 39 points ahead of Verstappen with four races to go.
A few weeks later, Verstappen had dramatically turned the tables and all the pressure was on Norris and Piastri.
“It’s probably fair to say that the world discovered an even more extraordinary Max this season,” Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said. “A bit because of the magnitude of the comeback. A bit because he has been so relaxed.”
Verstappen has been more amiable since becoming a father earlier this year, and has made a concerted effort to reign in his occasionally scathing rants over team radio.
He was all smiles and friendly with Norris when they watched highlights of Sunday’s race in the cool-down room.
In the past, bursts of rage or flashes of frustration would get the better of Verstappen.
Less so now.
But one thing that hasn’t changed is his intense desire to win and deep self-belief, whatever the odds.
“The fightback has been really fun,” Verstappen said. “I don’t see it like losing (the championship).” (JapanToday)
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