It won’t be a walk in the park for Max Verstappen in 2023: Jenson Button
Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 World Champion, believes that Max Verstappen would face tough competition this year.
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Jenson and Max
Jenson Button has admitted that the 2023 season won’t be as easy as everyone claims to be for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The 2009 F1 World Champion ardently believes that one cannot talk about the whole season based on what one witnessed during the Bahrain GP.
Jenson Button feels Max Verstappen and Co. would have to work their socks off in order to win the F1 World Championship. He is expecting a tougher battle than what was witnessed last year between the various F1 teams up and down the grid. All this has stemmed from his belief that things would vary from circuit to circuit.
While talking about Verstappen’s dominant win in Bahrain, Button added, “It looked like a relatively easy race, especially for Max, But I have to say, forgetting who won the race, it was a great race. It was too easy for Max, yes, it was. But the race itself was great. I loved the action, there was so much action. To see two multiple world champions going at it, Lewis and Fernando, it was pretty special.”
He further added, “I know that a lot of drivers have said, well, it’s going to be an easy championship for Red Bull and Max,” he said. “But how can you say that? We’ve only tested at one track, and we’ve only raced at one track. So no, it’s not a walk in the park for Red Bull and Max. It’s a great start to the season, and very different from what they had last year. But I still think we’re going to have some very, very close fights.”
From Jenson Button’s comments, it is pretty clear that he is not favoring Red Bull to run away with the F1 Championship again. Button expects closer fights this year between the front-running teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and, Red Bull. Moreover, considering the performance that the Aston Martin cars put in Bahrain, they can also turn out to be wildcards in the Championship fight.
Jenson Button’s take on what F1 could learn from NASCAR
While Jenson Button has made the headlines for his take on the 2023 F1 Championship fight, there is another reason why he’s been in the news recently. Button has signed a three-race program with the NASCAR Cup series and that has brought smiles to the faces of his die-hard fans all over the globe.
Moreover, the Brit during a recent interview was asked what F1 could learn from NASCAR. While responding, he said, “I think the great thing about F1 is they are very open to changes and tickling it here. We have the sprint races, which I think work really well. Not everyone’s going to be happy when you change a sport that has been the same for so long. But I like that change.”
“In NASCAR they have stage points through the race, which could make it interesting because it depends on when you pit for tires.” Jenson Button has given a fascinating take on what the potential future could hold for the pinnacle of motor racing. However, considering the huge changes that F1 has gone through in recent years, it is very unlikely that the sport will see more changes in the next few years.
The 2023 F1 campaign is just one race down and still has 22 races left on the calendar. The bragging rights at the moment are with Max Verstappen and Red Bull but taking into account Button’s comments, is there the potential of seeing a different winner at the end of the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)