Max Verstappen has been performing at a different level from the other drivers this season. He has been driving the Adrian-Newey-designed RB19 this season. This has led fans to compare him to the Formula 1 greats. Adrian Newey believes all the greats including Max Verstappen have one thing in common when it comes to handling a Formula 1 car.
Adrian Newey has been working alongside World Champions since the 1990s. This gives him a lot more insight than the average person when comparing these drivers. Recently the world-renowned car developer was asked if Max was one of the exceptional drivers he has worked with. To this, he replied:
“You’re comparing different cars and different generations. The thing I observe from the really great drivers is their ability to make it feel like they’re driving the car on automatic.” “That leaves them plenty of processing power to think about how they’re using tires, how the race is unfolding, when they should push, when they should hold back. Max is exceptional in that.”
🗣️ | Adrian Newey on Max being one of the exceptional drivers he worked with
“You’re comparing different cars and different generations. The thing I observe from the really great drivers, is their ability to make it feel like they’re driving the car on automatic.”
“That leaves… pic.twitter.com/bLdfnmTSJn
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) October 9, 2023
Adrian Newey has worked with a long list of exceptional drivers. With Williams, he worked with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, and Jaques Villeneuve. With McLaren, he worked with Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, and Kimi Raikkonen. Since joining the Red Bull team, he has seen only 2 drivers be crowned Champion while working alongside him. One was Sebastian Vettel and the other was Max Verstappen.
There is no doubt that Max is cruising in every race while driving the RB19. Television viewers across the world hardly see the 3-time champion on the screen as there is no action happening around Verstappen as he comfortably cruises in each race. Most of the action is happening behind him for the podium positions.
Can Max Verstappen supersede Lewis Hamilton’s record 7 F1 titles?
At the age of 26, Lewis Hamilton had only 1 title and was racing with McLaren. Max Verstappen is now 26 years old, he has won 3 Championships already and still has another 5 years to serve with Red Bull with his current contract. If he and the team are able to continue their form until Verstappen’s contract expires, he will have 8 Championships in 2028.
There is no doubt that Max is capable of equaling or even superseding Lewis Hamilton’s record of 8 Championships. However, he will face a lot of challenges in the coming years. Being a dominant team does not mean that you can rest. When a team is winning races and Championships, they are always being hunted by every other team on the grid.
Mercedes and McLaren are probably the only teams that are close to Red Bull’s performance. During the Qatar Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri finished the race only 4 seconds behind Max Verstappen. Lando Norris was holding his position just behind his teammate. This has scared a few people in Red Bull.
Max Verstappen becomes just the fifth driver to win three world championships back-to-back 🏆
Elite company 🤝 pic.twitter.com/YJppLtddRj
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 7, 2023
There is a huge possibility that McLaren or Mercedes could challenge Red Bull for the Championship as early as next year. This could hurt Max Verstappen’s chances of winning 4 consecutive titles. Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton are 2 drivers he should keep an eye out for. Both of these drivers have been performing exceptionally for their respective teams.
After the 2025 season, a major regulation change is expected to take place. This regulation change is expected to throw a spanner in the works for Red Bull. When Mercedes dominated the sport, it was put to an end by a regulation change that took place in 2022 which allowed Red Bull to begin their domination.
Do you think Max Verstappen can supersede Lewis Hamilton by winning 8 titles? Post your answers in the comment section below.
