BarcelonaMarx Verstappen has mathematically declared himself the world champion of Formula 1. The milestone was marked by suspense until the last moment, as it depended on his triumph in the Japanese GP, which he achieved, and the result of Charles Leclerc in the race Ferrari’s Monegasque finished second ahead of Checo Pérez, but the marshals made him finish third after considering that he benefited from an exit from the track to reach the finish line earlier when he was being chased by the Mexican. Leclerc has been penalized with five seconds in a test marked by rain. Verstappen knew he was champion on the podium.
“When I crossed the finish line I didn’t know if I would be champion or not. Because I also didn’t know if all the points would be given or only half,” said an exultant Verstappen, who has had a big party in Japan. And especially at Suzuka, the circuit that is owned by Honda, the brand that supplies the engines to the Red Bull team. “It’s really exciting, especially here. To win the championship twice with this sensational work we’ve done together with Honda”
Verstappen, two world titles at only 25 years old
And already two of them, World titles. Verstappen came to Formula 1 to turn it upside down and he needed little to add to his second championship at the age of 25. The Red Bull driver has not had a rival this year, unlike last season, where his fight with Lewis Hamilton left us with one of the best fights in the history of the world championship. The new champion will be able to stamp the number 1 on his car again in the 2022/2023 season, a tradition that he himself recovered after his first championship.
“I have special feelings. Crazy. Because when I crossed the finish line I wasn’t sure if I would be champion or not. And, honestly, I didn’t expect to be champion anymore,” said the Dutchman, exulting. When he got out of his car, after crossing the finish line, he just celebrated the victory in the race. It was after he was told that he could also celebrate the title. “I still can’t quite believe it, but if we look back, we can say it’s been an incredible year.”
Verstappen landed in F1 in 2015 already at the hand of Red Bull and, since then, he has not stopped breaking molds and breaking records. He was the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix, the youngest winner of a race (at 18 years 7 months and 15 days in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix), the youngest driver to reach the podium. He was also in taking the lap record and lap record in a session. In addition, Max Verstappen is the youngest driver to compete in the history of this category: he made his debut at the age of 17 years and 166 days in the Australian Grand Prix six years ago, when he was driving for the Toro Rosso team. He had always been the first in everything. His hunger and character have led him to dethrone the incomparable Hamilton and overcome the Ferraris almost without losing their hair.
While last season was a constant battle with Hamilton every weekend, this year, the triumph has been simpler. With four races to go in the season, Verstappen already has his name engraved on the trophy. The memories of the race in Abu Dhabi, the last one last year, where the Dutchman took the championship in the last round of the World Cup, are far away. This year, on the other hand, he has enjoyed a solo and rather comfortable lead. The abdication of Mercedes, who has had a season to forget, and the mistakes and unreliability of Ferrari, have made it easier for the Red Bull driver, who could even have room for error. With this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, 18 of the 22 World Cup races have been run. The Dutchman has won eleven.
Not only is Verstappen the champion for having scored more points than any other driver, but he has also managed to turn around a situation that seemed irreversible: Mercedes’ hegemonic dominance over the past decade. The young Dutchman took advantage of last year, a season that was announced as a transitional one, to surprise everyone by fighting one-on-one with the eight-time world champion Hamilton, who, at 37 years old, does not plan to leave the World Cup like this. Now Verstappen has shown that his triumph is not the flower of a day, nor luck, nor coincidence. At 25, he aims to start a new era, leading the German team and counting the years for world titles. And, at the moment, there are already two.
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