Will Max Verstappen be able to defend his title or will the Dutchman succumb under the pressure and become a one season wonder?
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Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen
As dawn breaks on a new era of Formula 1, Max Verstappen also looks forward to a more challenging year of racing ahead of him as he defends his title for the first time in his short but illustrious career. The underdog has transformed into a fully fledged beast who is riding the expectations of the orange army. The question that lies ahead of us is whether he can replicate the form of last year or will he give in to the huge expectations?
Max Verstsappen is one of most technically gifted drivers in Formula 1, thanks to his karting days and his father, Jos Verstappen. The foundation of any career in any sport is laid down at the grassroot level and Jos Verstappen knew that.
Max Verstappen was encouraged to hone his skills, make mistakes and learn from that experience during his early days which would make him stronger for the journey lying ahead of him. The Dutchman took the advice seriously and went on to have a stranglehold on the karting scene both in Belgium and Netherlands by winning the the Dutch and Belgian Minimax championships, along with the Belgian Cadet championship.
The current world champion now has the experience in F1 combined with unmatched level of experience in karting which makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Does Max Verstappen have the mental grit and determination to replicate the heroics of his incredible title winning season?
Max Verstappen also seems to have to have added adaptability to his famous and infamous aggression. Max Verstappen was a fish out of water when he came to Formula 1 after just one year in F3. This led to certain unforced errors like the one in Monza or in Silverstone. The world champion had to pay a hefty price for that too. But the current world champion found his way around it quickly and controlled his aggression. Whether it be qualifying at a “rain-soaked Spa” or rapidly “deteriorating race conditions at Sochi,” Max Verstappen showed the perfect blend of aggression and incisive precision.
Now having the experience to fight with Lewis Hamilton and fighting at the grandest stage of all, sky should be the limit for the current world champion.
Last, but not the least, we need to keep in mind that Max Verstappen had Lewis Hamilton chasing shadows with an “inferior car.” Yes, you heard that right. The gap between the Mercedes and Red Bull had been vividly evident on the track but when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Max Verstappen showed his ‘mamba mentality‘ and went on to lead 652 laps of 1297 laps last season, which is no mean feat and put Lewis Hamilton in an uncomfortable situation who is not used to being second best to anyone.
The 24 year old is just getting started. With a championship under his belt and after defeating the seven time world champion, the world is there for him to conquer and rule. Also, the fact that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their career, opens up plethora of opportunities for “Super Max” to make that throne his own.
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Shubham Bajpai
(776 Articles Published)