It has been clear for months. Everyone took it. And at that point, after winning 13 of the 16 races held until it was reached Qatar GP, the date of its title is almost unimportant. It’s only one hour. Very little time. And it comes this Saturday in the sprint event of the Qatar GP, with this Sunday’s race still to be held and another 5 Grand Prix remaining. That’s how long Max has left. Verstappenthat starting this Saturday is the new three-time F1 champion. Max won the 2023 F1 World Championship in an overwhelming way, without opposition, almost invincible on his wheel Red Bull RB19. And ironically, he did it in a manga where, oddly enough, he wasn’t the protagonist. He was declared the champion before the end of the sprint, with 7 laps remaining out of 19 total. And then, he wants to go for the win to complete a great comeback. But Piastre The man is holding. He could not win a bumpy sprint race, with up to two ‘safety cars’, but he confirmed the best: his third crown.
Checo’ Pérez, the only one with a mathematical option before this GP, gave him the scepter then, with an accident to Esteban Ocon. If the Mexican is 4th or worse in the sprint, Max is the champion. The one in Guadalajara was not finished and the Dutchman was once again proclaimed king for the biggest difference in F1 history, a total of 184 points (which could be more as there are still 6 races left). However, halfway through the meeting, he didn’t even celebrate it. He remained focused on his chances of winning the sprint heat. It was Max, an insatiable champion. A competitive beast with no limits. He didn’t care about the scepter. I want to win.
Qatar GP sprint race final classification:
- Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 35:01.297
- Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 35:03.168
- Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) 35:09.794
- George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 35:12.333
- Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 35:18.611
- Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 35:20.103
- Alexander Albon (THA/Williams) 35:21.161
- Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin) 35:22.477
- Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 35:23.039
- Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo) 35:23.505
- Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri) 35:24.160
- Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 35:26.157
- Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas) 35:26.267
- Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo) 35:28.165
Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin) 35:30.820
- Dropouts:
- Liam Lawson (NZL/AlphaTauri)
- Logan Sargeant (USA/Williams)
- Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine)
- Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull)
Nico Hülkenberg (ALE/Haas)
Max’s return
After a bad start, surprised by drivers who took risks by starting soft (Russell and Sainz), he became 5th. But the soft tire began to fail, and with it, Verstappen became a giant. He was behind the second safety car in third position with just a few laps to go. Piastri took the lead on a tireless Russell, with Max 3rd on a medium tire at maximum performance and Sainz fourth, having to fend for himself on Norris’s soft, medium tyre. The race continued with 5 laps to go. Verstappen wanted to win big, but it was very difficult for him. With 3 laps to go, he passed George Russell and Oscar Piastri was 2.5 behind. I will go for everything. He only thinks about winning. He wants nothing more than to win, but Oscar stops him. The Australian thus achieved his first sprint victory, hoping to win his first race on Sunday sooner rather than later. Second is
Verstappen, ahead of Norris (3rd), who bounced back after a bad start and George Russell (4th), with Hamilton in 5th position after a brilliant comeback from 12th place.
Sainz, 6th and Alonso, 8th
Sainz was 6th. He started in that position and managed to finish 3rd and fight for 2nd with a big start. But its soft rubber gave way. Leclerc was 7th, but dropped to 14th position due to a 5″ penalty for “leaving the track too many times for no reason.” Albon took 7th place ahead of Alonso (8th) who gained a few positions at the start before running out of tires for the soft start.He took a risk and was 9th on the track (8th in the final due to Charles’ penalty) on a day if where he didn’t lose much, unlike Sunday, where starting 4th he wanted to achieve a good handful of points.
Full title ownership
His teammate ‘Checo’ Pérez held his own until Miami, where Verstappen changed the chip after failing to prevent the Mexican from winning in Baku. When the man from Guadalajara was already talking about the possibility of fighting for the crown against Max, when he grew up and said that ‘Checo’ is a completely different driver, changed, capable of fighting head-to-head with Verstappen, that is when the tireless ‘Flying Dutchman’ pulled the trigger and said enough was enough. It just escaped. He flew as ‘Checo’ sank further due to the evolution of a Red Bull more nervous car, perfect for Max’s hands, but further away from the Mexican style, that from that moment he was far from the world. from his companion.
His third title was taken for granted and as of this Saturday it has been on his record. Max equaled the 3 crowns of his father-in-law, Nelson Piquet, and the driver he was most compared to: Ayrton Senna. He also equaled the 3 scepters of other eminences such as Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. But the best thing is the age at which he reached it, surpassed only by Vettel as the youngest three-time champion. The German, who also takes advantage of the dominant Red Bull, won his third crown in 2012 at the age of 25. Max achieved it with 26 and next year, as the current technical regulations will remain unchanged, the Max should again have the best car (if there are no surprises) and be the great favorite to achieve his fourth title. It remains to be seen if some changes will finally be applied in 2025 that could make things a bit more complicated. But if he continues like this, Verstappen will not disappoint.
He didn’t do it the whole time. He only lost in Arabia and Azerbaijan to ‘Checo’ at the start of the course (he was 2nd) and added a 5th in Singapore because that track didn’t suit his car. For others, all success. It also did not fail on the most complex days, with the most delicate and changing tracks, such as in Monaco, Canada and Zandvoort. There, Alonso tightened the screws but having the best car allowed Max to face those days with more calmness and margin to not make any mistakes. Now, the question is clear: Until when? As much as Red Bull and Max want. Until someone catches up with the people from Milton Keynes and the Dutch. That seems unlikely to happen next year. We will have to see in 2025. Or with the regulation change of 2026. It is all up to Verstappen to continue to accumulate wins, pole positions and get closer to Hamilton’s records of dominance.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
