The 2023 Formula One season has been somewhat of a dud so far. Following the uber competitive 2021 campaign which saw Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen go head to head in a title clash for the ages, many thought that the competitive nature of the sport was back to its very best. Those thoughts were amplified when the talented young Dutchman went toe to toe with Charles Leclerc throughout the first half of last season.
However, this year, the upper echelons of the sport have been anything but competitive. Super Max has won 13 of the 16 races so far this term and his team, Red Bull Racing, has won all but one Grand Prix. The 25-year-old will have his third straight title wrapped up in Qatar, with five races still to go this season..
Motorsport fans have had many questions about F1 over the years. How do the cars go so fast? How do the logistics work and how are there so many races from every corner of the planet? But, this season, the one question asked the most is quite simple… How is Verstappen so much faster than everyone else?
Raw Talent Coupled With a Strong Car
Verstappen is an innately talented racer. He doesn’t mind taking chances and has been very consistent over the years. He has performed admirably in both dry and rainy circumstances, and it sometimes seems as though he has a sixth sense about his car.
He has also been extraordinarily fortunate because, over the past few seasons, he hasn’t experienced any significant car breakdowns. He has gained the momentum he needs to keep winning thanks to his consistency. That doesn’t mean, though, that other drivers don’t possess that talent.
Although many F1 drivers are extraordinarily skilled, Verstappen stands out for his maturity at such a young age. Even though he’s only 25 years old, he maintains composure under pressure and more than backs up his worth as one of the highest-paid sportsmen in the world.
Another aspect that sets Verstappen apart from the rest of the grid is his team. The Red Bull Racing Team has always been one of the best in F1, however, they have fired themselves into another stratosphere over the last two years, firmly taking over from Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton as the top team in the sport. They have given the Dutchman a car that he needs to win and provided him with a chassis that suits him perfectly. In Sergio Perez, he has a teammate who can play an invaluable role in helping secure the team’s goals while being a reliable second driver on the team.