Verstappen, it’s not the car anymore: it’s how he achieved a great blow on the table that shook the F1 World Championship

Max Verstappen He heard so many times that “he won because he had a lot of superior cars.” This is the case from the second half of the 2022 season, when it began to sweep, and throughout the 2023 season, when it achieved the record for victories in the same year in F1: 19 out of 22 (86.36% of the total) . But now, since Miami GPthe Dutch no longer has the superiority he had before, and on some tracks such as Imola, Monaco and Canada, in the last three races, he did not have the fastest car. But in two of them he managed to win.

This is what the 2024 F1 World Championship classification looks like at the Canadian GP

Last year, without going further, the same reflection was made to Carlos Sainz in one of the Spanish press groups before a Grand Prix and the Madrid native denied that it was only about the car, which makes it clear even in races or difficult classification. where he may have erred, he has not failed. And recently, at Imola, he didn’t hesitate to make sure he was performing at the level of the best on the grid.

And the Dutchman shows it in his performances in a car that is no longer pleasing. In Miami, if not for a ‘Safety Car’ that benefited Norris, despite not having such a dominant car, he would have won. There he made the first mistake he had made in a long time, going off the track, and at Imola he had to respond.

Imola, highest booty climbing the walls

In the Emilia-Romagna GP he encountered a car that gave him many problems in free practice and in which ‘Checo’ Pérez was eliminated before Q3 of the classification. I had to drive to the limit, more than single-seater possibilities, with his tongue hanging out, to go to a pole which in Imola is almost a victory because of how difficult it is to overtake on the Italian track. And with many strokes he made an epic lap, climbing the walls on a route with no room for error due to the amount of gravel outside the asphalt.

He gave a recital on a spin. AND in the race, under maximum pressurewith the warning that he could no longer exceed the limits of the track if he did not want to receive a penalty and with Lando Norris squeezed his rear with more tires and better speed, he made no mistakes and won the race.

In Monaco he had to touch the wall and go to the limit

In Monaco, he could do nothing but finish 6th on the grid with a car where ‘Checo’ fell in Q1. He managed to get some good points for the World Cup thanks to another lap with many risks in qualifying, brushing against the walls of the streets of the Principality. And in the tougher World Cup, with Leclerc only having 31 points, in Canada he gave a real blow to the table. He made it clear that his hands, together with a team that rarely makes mistakes, continue to form the best tandem.

Canada’s success is taking advantage of its rivals’ mistakes

At the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, with the car suffering a lot from the bumps on the track and especially the many climbs on the curves, it was saved by the delicate track conditions in the ‘qual’ due to the raindrops. , something that means cars don’t have to climb pianos. He took advantage of this perfectly to once again drive beyond the capabilities of his car. In a car where ‘Checo’ fell again in Q1, he achieved a stratospheric turnaround to get 2nd on the grid, something important to fight from the start for victory.

And in the race, he once again showed why he is the champion and current king of F1. While McLaren made the mistake of not putting Norris in the pits when the safety car came out on lap 25 and Lando made another subsequent mistake when chasing him in the final stages of the raceand George Russell, for his part, made two equally fundamental mistakes., Max and Red Bull hit the nail on the head.

The Dutchman benefited from the aforementioned safety car, but he took advantage of it with a perfect finish to the race.without mistakes despite the fact that he doesn’t have the fastest car and despite how much he struggles to ride the curves. In fact, he even said on the radio that he felt like he had no suspension and had to avoid curves when the track was dry.

McLarens and Mercedes are faster in Canada. But Verstappen won. Same as before, but not as before. This time it wasn’t the car. Not in Imola either. And in this way, he added two wins from the last 3 to continue leading the overall standings.

He left Monaco with Leclerc with just 31 points, Lando Norris with 56 points, Sainz with 61 and Pérez with 62 and left Canada with a better cushion taking advantage of the Ferrari debacle to perfection.

Verstappen now leads by 56 points over Charles, 63 over Lando Norris, 86 over Carlos Sanz and 87 ahead of his teammate ‘Checo Pérez.

The inconsistency of his rivals didn’t help

It seems that Verstappen, despite not having a massive car and where he no longer sweeps, still has a more regular car in his hands on all kinds of tracks. In addition, he and his entire team have more experience in situations of maximum pressure in the fight for victory, something that his rivals from McLaren, for example, lack.

And one more thing, he doesn’t seem to have a consistent rival who can corner him.

Although he always leads his team, at McLaren they alternate and that does not help the fight for the title: Norris failed many times and only in Miami he achieved victory, so the Englishman seems far from Max’s level. Piastri, still very young and with little experience, needs to improve and remains irregular. And Ferrari seems a step behind Red Bull and McLaren, capable of besting some tracks like Monaco, but a step below on more traditional circuits.

To defeat Max, it is necessary for one of his opponents to take a big step forward and show the consistency of the champion. Without a rival of the same size, Max continues to make a difference in a car that has not been equaled in previous years. He is still the king.