Max Verstappen became the 34th Formula 1 World Champion, stopping a Lewis Hamilton’s streak that aimed to finally overtake Michael Schumacher and reach eight in the record book.
2001 vice-world champion David Coulthard is quite convinced of the key that allowed Red Bull’s Dutchman to get the better of Mercedes’ rival.
“He has an incredibly strong personality and is an incredible driver,” said the Scot in an interview with Channel 4. “He’s brilliant and controversial at the same time. Do we know other drivers who combine these two qualities? Maybe Ayrton Senna or Michael. Schumacher. Very few people can do it. “
“I have to admit that Lewis has won an incredible number of titles and done it cleanly. Basically, he had no problems in any of them. Given the strength of Mercedes and Lewis, I think Max needed to do something special. to beat them. And I think he thought: ‘always go inside, even when the door is ajar’ “.
Coulthard’s idea is that Hamilton was unable to respond to this kind of mentality, suffering from a mental point of view when he found himself dueling on the track with Verstappen.
“Having this thought, Lewis was forced to open the door every time he saw him coming up behind him. All of this allowed Max to psychologically influence Lewis, it got into his head,” said the Scotsman.
“Max has been fighting ever since he came to Formula 1, he also skipped almost every step to take in the junior categories. He’s not afraid of anyone, he doesn’t know that kind of emotion when he’s on the track. And that’s what impresses me the most about him. He always finds an open space and slips into it without hesitation “.
“When I was racing, I always wondered if I should take a risk or not. Max Verstappen acts in a very different way, which sets him apart from all the other drivers,” concluded the former driver.
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