The 2015 Australian Grand Prix witnessed a mere 17-year-old driver with a rather quiet and tranquil racing history commencing his rookie Formula 1 campaign – Max Verstappen. And the scenes unfolding at the Red Bull camp were definitely a bit too strange, with Dr. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner exceedingly backing the young Dutch driver and almost shielding him like a precious stone.
While the Milton Keynes outfit persistently hailed Verstappen as a generational talent, a majority of the grid graded the young Dutch driver as reckless and possibly dangerous. Of course, Verstappen did engage in quite a lot of unwanted incidents in the early phases of his F1 career, making unnerving actions and causing collisions with fellow colleagues.
However, the opinions eventually died down, as Verstappen consistently showed signs of evolution. Now, almost eight years into his scintillating Formula 1 career, one can finally connect the dots and realize why Red Bull had been backing the 25-year-old like never before. Verstappen has proven to be a generational talent indeed!
A true representation of Max Verstappen’s dominance in 2023. 😱#F1 #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/GQmxo8Le7b
— Sundaram R (@f1statsguru) August 7, 2023
The 2023 F1 campaign, in specific, has painted the picture of what Verstappen’s real pace is against the rest of the grid. In simple terms, Verstappen is in a league of his own. What’s more, The owner of the former F1 team, Minardi, has openly acknowledged that Verstappen is currently unbeatable and will remain undefeated even with Red Bull’s searing pace out of the equation.
Giancarlo Minardi hails Max Verstappen following the scintillating display of racing in 2023
Giancarlo Minardi, the owner of the team that was the origin of defending champions Red Bull, reckoned that it would be impossible for a teammate to beat Max Verstappen at Red Bull. However, the Italian also added that, if not for Verstappen’s impeccable dominance, the 2023 F1 campaign could have been one of the greatest seasons in the sport’s history.
“In Belgium, he put 22 seconds on [Sergio] Perez who races with the same car. He is easily beating Checo [Sergio Perez], as he did with all those other poor guys who found themselves in his team. Yes, the Red Bull is very powerful, but it’s his ability to drive it that makes it unbeatable. There’s him and then all the others who share the crumbs,” he said according to Si.com.
“If Max didn’t exist, F1 would be a more balanced and spectacular fight,” the 75-year-old concluded. Interestingly though, out of the four Red Bull teammates Verstappen has had over the years, Daniel Ricciardo remains the only driver to beat the Dutch lion. And the very same Ricciardo is seeking a return to Red Bull as early as next season. Hence, could the Australian put an end to Verstappen’s reign?
