One man in charge
The Spa weekend once again confirmed the impressive superiority of the Verstappen-Red Bull pairing over the competition. If the Milton Keynes team arrived at the summer break achieving a historic en plein of victories – 12 out of 12 GPs and three out of three Sprint races – much of the credit goes to the Dutch champion, now very fast towards a third consecutive title that has never seemed to be in dispute. Verstappen has so far scored 10 race wins and two in Sprints and currently boasts an open streak of eight consecutive GP wins. At his home, on the Zandvoort weekend, after the holidays, he will be able to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine successes in a row.
The qualities of Red Bull’s #1 are no longer a mystery to anyone, but what amazes about Verstappen is the constant hunger for victory and success that he demonstrates one race after another. There is certainly a hint of arrogance in the behavior of the champion from Hasselt, but even Toto Wolff – Mercedes team principal – has come to justify it, underlining how the absolute idol of the Dutch public has “all the reasons to be cheeky”.
Perfect combination
To underline the greatness of Verstappen there was also a historical name in Italian motorsport: that of Giancarlo Minardi. The president of Formula Imola, former founder and manager of the team that bore his name, spoke to the Repubblica newspaper about the supremacy that Max is giving to the championship. According to Minardi, he is the real secret weapon that fuels Red Bull’s unbeaten run: “Sunday he gave 22 seconds to his teammate, Perez, who races with his own car: he mistreated him, as he did with all those poor they found themselves racing in the same team as him”.
“Every time that guy manages to create a perfect union with the vehicle – continued Minardi – Red Bull is powerful, he makes it unbeatable. In these 8 years he has gained experience, I think he is at the peak of his career. But who knows, maybe he can do even better. There he is, and then the others to share the crumbs. If Max didn’t exist, it would be a balanced, spectacular fight. Ferrari can have its say, provided they never make mistakes ”, concluded the 75-year-old manager from Faenza who, at Minardi, had dealings with Max’s father, Jos Verstappen. “In 2003, in Brazil, at Interlagos, we risked winning – he recalled – but he lost control, ended up on the pitch. Discreet driver, with a lot of personality”.
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