What kind of champion will Verstappen be for F1?

For the very first time, Max Verstappen is about to enter a season as a car racing champion. As a karting prodigy he secured the World KZ crown, but an intriguing element of his sensational rise through the single-seater ranks to become a superstar at the highest stage of global motorsport is that he didn’t hold a single title in cars before arriving in F1.

Not that this was his fault, really. Verstappen’s first season out of karting, his single European Formula 3 campaign, was when his legend truly kicked off, as his burgeoning reputation and results attracted intense interest from Red Bull and Mercedes about a future F1 promotion.

The former could offer one immediately, effectively casting aside several drivers already on its famously merciless junior programme to get Verstappen in at Toro Rosso for 2015. By the middle of the following season, he was an 18-year-old grand prix winner for the senior squad, and when 2021 concluded he had become only the second former Red Bull junior to clinch the ultimate prize: the F1 drivers’ title.  

For a racer whose career has developed at a stunning and rare speed, Verstappen insisted in the aftermath of his controversial title triumph against Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi last December that his latest and biggest success nevertheless meant “my life will not change”.

“I’m of course very happy that I won the championship,” he told an empty press conference room at the Yas Marina track (save for a handful of FOM and FIA media staff), the F1 press corps tuning in via Zoom thanks to the COVID protocols of the day. “That’s the final achievement that I wanted in Formula 1, so everything else that comes now is a bonus.” 

Given Verstappen had been asserting essentially the same sentiment since the Turkish Grand Prix two months earlier – that even if he lost what immediately went down as one of the best title fights in F1 history, his life would remain as it was already – this was not surprising. It also fits with the character Verstappen presents to the world – one of cool, hard detachment welded to an iron core of supreme self-belief. A sim-racing livestream clip where Verstappen explains that his cats are making their way through his home rig set-up hints at a softer reality.  

Verstappen claimed in his world championship-winner press conference in Abu Dhabi that his success wouldn't change anything - but that isn't the case

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

But Verstappen is wrong. Now he is a world champion, his life has changed forever. For a start, his words simply carry considerably more weight than they did before. Not that Verstappen, the undisputed star of one of F1’s superteams, was previously ignored or discounted. Any driver who could take the fight to Hamilton in such a manner as he did, and indeed surely still does, would command attention.  

But as world champion, he is elevated to a new status. Extra respect is granted, while at the same time greater scrutiny is applied. Verstappen is no longer from the cohort of racing hopefuls dreaming of attaining the ultimate prize – he has it forever. His name is immortalised in the history books as a world champion. 

Winners attract fans. Verstappen’s home orange army in the Netherlands is already famous around the world – huge swathes of the Yas Marina track’s many grandstands, most notably overlooking the reworked Turn 9 hairpin, at the 2021 finale were packed with his fervent followers. There will be many more in those who witnessed his success last year and attached themselves to his camp, potentially for life.  

For all his battles with British F1 stars in the 1990s and early 2000s, Michael Schumacher had a loyal following on these shores. There’s a clear parallel with Verstappen here, with his story in one way strengthened by racing for a squad based in Milton Keynes.

Then came a clear test of Verstappen’s new position – and he aced it. “When a country is at war, it is not right to race there,” he said, before saying it was up to the whole F1 paddock to decide what should be done next. It wasn’t much, but it was enough

Even with his non-participation in the Netflix hit Drive to Survive – Verstappen is correct in his assessment that the series bizarrely bends reality to suit its narrative, and he denies it his star power as a result – the many new followers F1 is attracting as a result of its episodes will see his exploits and achievements shine through.  

At the first test of the 2022 pre-season at Barcelona two weeks ago, Verstappen faced the F1 media in the paddock for the first time since he became a world champion. Interest was high – with all that had changed in just a few short months, even if he did not envisage a change having taken place, what kind of champion would be waiting?  

In person, for the first time since the 2020 pre-season in the pre-pandemic age, Verstappen sat in the centre of the FIA’s stage above the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’s garages, flanked by Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel to his right and Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda to his left. Although it may not have been the intent, two multiple world champions were placed to his side, the current star of the show given the most prominent billing.

Already hugely popular, Verstappen's world champion status has increased his star power further

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

The press conference took place during the lunchbreak on the second day of the test, Thursday 24 February – the day Russia invaded Ukraine and the horror of open war reached Europe once again. The question of how F1 should respond given the Sochi race was then scheduled to take place on 25 September was quickly raised. Directed first at Vettel alone, Red Bull’s previous undisputed star weighed in with the commanding and fascinating wise demeanour he is presenting in the twilight years of his F1 career.  

“My own opinion is I should not go, I will not go, I think it’s wrong to race in that country,” Vettel explained.

Later the rest of the assembled racers were asked if they would do likewise. Leclerc, answering first in this instance, insisted that while sad to see the events, he did not “have all the information about what’s happening” to take a clear stance in that moment. Then came a clear test of Verstappen’s new position – and he aced it.  

“When a country is at war, it is not right to race there,” he said, before saying it was up to the whole F1 paddock to decide what should be done next (indeed a meeting between the championship’s key stakeholders was convened that evening, and Russia has since been stripped of its race-hosting contract). It wasn’t much, but it was enough. This is, after all, a driver who chose not to take the knee during the now removed pre-start ‘We Race as One’ ceremony.  

The same press conference contained another chance to witness how Verstappen would wield his new-found power, when all five drivers were asked for their take on the FIA’s decision to remove Michael Masi as F1 race director and make sweeping, complex changes to officiating grand prix events. Having insisted during the off-season that the circumstances of his Abu Dhabi win meant his title was not correspondingly tarnished, Verstappen weighed in as if this had been an opportunity for which he had been looking. 

“I think it’s not correct,” he said. “Everyone always tries to do the best job, everyone can always use help. Like us drivers also – we have the whole team behind us, we prove it ourselves. For me, it’s very unfair what happened to Michael – he was really being thrown under the bus.   

“Now, [that they] did sack him like that in the first place for me is unacceptable. And now basically [that they] sacked him is really incredible. I feel really sorry for Michael. Because I think he was a very capable and good race director. I have nothing against the new race directors – because I think they are also very capable and very good race directors. But, personally, and for Michael, I felt really sad and I sent him a text as well.” 

Verstappen was pointed in his comments about the situation in Ukraine and Masi's departure when F1 resurfaced in Barcelona

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

He continued in the same vein for over two minutes, questioning why Masi had not been offered better support since taking over from the experienced and respected Charlie Whiting following his sudden death three years ago. He also suggested that the now removed arrangement of allowing F1 team bosses to speak to the race director during on-track proceedings to argue their driver’s case in contentious circumstances made things “impossible” for Masi.  

Most witheringly of all, he stated that he hoped that whatever comes next for the Australian – the FIA’s own statements said he will be offered a new position within the organisation – it will be “better than being F1 race director”. Powerful stuff, and Verstappen clearly knows it.  

It seems very unlikely that if Red Bull is closely engaged with another squad (or squads) for Verstappen’s title defence in 2022 that he will approach wheel-to-wheel racing any differently, although perhaps there was an inkling early in the Abu Dhabi race of a subtle change of Verstappen tack

It is, however, intriguing to wonder how he might have reacted had there been a different outcome in Abu Dhabi, one where the lapped cars between the he and Hamilton were not inexplicably waved through to allow the one-lap shootout he nailed on fresher rubber. That is a topic for fun debate – although obviously not on the social media cesspools that became even more toxic in the fallout from the Abu Dhabi controversy. We can all only play the circumstances before us, and so Verstappen did in relation to his view on Masi’s dismissal.  

There have been times during his run to becoming champion where his choice of words has backfired. His suggestion at the 2018 Canadian GP that he “might headbutt someone” if he got one more question about his series of early-season crashes and errors was one thing, even if spoken in jest. But his team radio comments after contact with Lance Stroll during practice for the 2020 Portuguese GP were quite another.  

There’s a certain amount of tolerance that must be given to racers instantly reacting to tough circumstances, as Alonso has argued, but Verstappen’s words – “Is this f****** guy blind? What the f*** is wrong with him? Jesus Christ. What a retard. I have damage. What a mongol. I swear” – were completely unacceptable.  

Now that he is a world champion, if he were to make comments of a similar nature again, followed by another low-key acceptance that his choice of words was “not correct” – Verstappen did not outright apologise at the following race, and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner initially tried to play down the comments – then it would be even more of a stain upon the sport.  

And there’s one final element to be considered about Verstappen’s assertion that his life as a champion will be no different to before – that “everything else that comes now is a bonus”.  

Verstappen and Hamilton engaged in a titanic battle in 2021, and are ready to renew hostilities in 2022

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

F1 is filled with drivers, even champions, who did not, for whatever reason, go on to fulfil their potential, where the first triumph should have led to many more but did not. Alonso here provides a handy comparison given how his career has played out since his consecutive titles with Renault nearly 20 years ago. But it is a recently retired champion’s later career that should stand as a warning to those who regard good results following one championship win as “a bonus”.  

Consider the case of Kimi Raikkonen. Rather like Verstappen, his detachment from the F1 circus in turn made him more focused. But at the same time, his career peaked with his sole title with Ferrari in 2007, followed by what can now be viewed as stagnation and then decline, albeit peppered with flashes of the brilliance that took the Finn to the pinnacle of motorsport. Causation does not equal correlation, but Verstappen would be wise to be wary of the example Raikkonen’s F1 career now provides. 

PLUS: Why newly-retired Raikkonen won't miss F1

Not that such a course seems likely – or that, very much like Raikkonen, Verstappen has a single jot of concern about what anyone else thinks of his principles or his approach. That could be seen throughout his 2021 campaign. Time after time he attacked Hamilton with a relentless aggression not seen in F1 for a generation.  

Even in defence, such as on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix, Verstappen’s refusal to concede even an inch to his (finally) similarly attacking rival contributed to their crash. Even though Hamilton was ultimately to blame for forcing the issue, the move drew clear parallels with Verstappen’s lunges at Imola and Barcelona, and later at Monza and in Jeddah. 

“Sitting in the hospital the whole evening [after the Silverstone shunt] having checks, that was definitely the lowest point,” Verstappen reflected on his 2021 season in the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi race. “Because you don’t want to be there. Baku [and the tyre failure while clear in the lead] was not nice. But they’re all moments which make you a better driver I think at the end.” 

That suggestion tallies pertinently with comments that Hamilton made on his return to the public eye at the launch of the Mercedes W13 last month. The seven-time world champion ended his media silence with a no-holds-barred vow to be better than ever in response to such a devastating loss as he felt in Abu Dhabi, all while explaining that he has “no issues” with Verstappen. 

PLUS: The reality behind Hamilton’s punchy vows for F1 2022

But it is Hamilton’s assertion that “we will go into another battle like we did last year and hopefully conduct ourselves… we will obviously grow from our races and experiences we had last year all through the season” that stands out here. Because it doesn’t quite fit with everything Verstappen has displayed to this point. This is that he is resolutely unyielding, an approach that was ultimately vindicated, to him personally, with the 2021 title.  

Will Verstappen's approach to racing Hamilton and others change this year? It seems unlikely

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

It seems very unlikely that if Red Bull is closely engaged with another squad (or squads) for Verstappen’s title defence in 2022 that he will approach wheel-to-wheel racing any differently, although perhaps there was an inkling early in the Abu Dhabi race of a subtle change of Verstappen tack. In this case, he boldly attacked Hamilton into the Turn 6 left at the end of the back straight, but did at least make an effort to remain well within track limits.  

There, it was the Mercedes driver courting controversy by cutting the following corner, allowed to keep the place because Masi judged his subsequent slowing to be handing back the advantage gained – much to Red Bull’s fury. The return to racing will reveal whether this was the start of a trend, as with the notable and significant errors on display in Hamilton’s game last year, or a passing aberration for Verstappen. 

In the Barcelona press conference room, with numbers limited by F1’s remaining social distancing protocols, Autosport wanted to know if Verstappen had spent time considering his 2021 performance level during the off-season. His answer reveals a key difference to Hamilton, who said at the Mercedes launch event that he had, as in every winter, considered whether he would be able to continue producing his best in F1 – the logical extension of this thinking is therefore where Hamilton feels he needs to be better.

When considering 2022 and the return to ground-effects, Verstappen does need to amend one particular negative element of his performances. This is his propensity to have minor offs, often with the pressure on

Hamilton and Verstappen are clearly in different places in their respective careers – Verstappen was not pondering retiring any time soon, even before the five-year extension to his Red Bull contract was announced last week.

He was also guarded in his answer, although it must be said that Hamilton only publicly acknowledges weaknesses, for example his need in 2020 to improve his qualifying form after returning ‘only’ five poles in 2019 to Leclerc’s seven, when he feels in complete control of a particular challenge. After all, to give free ammunition to any adversary is most unwise. 

“It’s not like there’s one specific moment where I think about it,” Verstappen replied. “I think it just goes naturally. As a driver you always want to do better every single year, but it’s not like one aspect where you suddenly want to improve a lot. It’s just step by step. Also, just general experience helps you. But now also the cars are very different, so this is another thing to learn and probably the biggest thing we need to get on top of as a driver.”

And this is Verstappen’s challenge now, with just two more days of testing remaining in Bahrain with the RB18 before his title defence kicks off at the same Sakhir circuit. The three days of running at Barcelona revealed little concrete evidence of the year’s pecking order, but it was clear that Adrian Newey and the design crew have risen to the challenge of a heavily aerodynamic-focused new formula. 

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Verstappen now has to lead Red Bull through a transition period as it acclimatises to the new regulations

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Verstappen’s supreme skills will aid his transition into the new driving contest of F1’s latest rules reset era. He is extremely adaptable, as evidenced by his taming of the recalcitrant Red Bulls of the past two to three seasons, where drivers as fast (and, in the case of the last named, experienced) as Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez could not. In his first year at Red Bull in 2021, Perez found Verstappen’s set-ups were the only way to get the best out of the RB16B; he simply had to do more to emulate his team-mate’s results. 

When considering 2022 and the return to ground-effects, Verstappen does need to amend one particular negative element of his performances. This is his propensity to have minor offs, often with the pressure on. These did decrease in regularity as the 2021 season unfolded, but small slips beyond track limits – such as at the end of his Bahrain charge, in Imola qualifying, Portugal when leading Hamilton and pursuing Valtteri Bottas, and on lap one in France – could have big consequences with these new cars.

Hitting kerbs or running through gravel traps, however briefly, could well cause big problems for the complex new floors and the venturi tunnels that need constant and well-maintained sealing to deliver the best downforce levels and therefore lap time. A kerb strike at any track such as the one Verstappen had in Paul Ricard practice, which Red Bull sporting boss Jonathan Wheatley estimated had caused “about £100,000” worth of damage to his bargeboards, might be even more costly this year. 

The 2022 season also brings a certain amount of career risk Verstappen’s way. There is simply no guarantee that he will be in the title fight for a second time, since it remains possible that Red Bull is now off the pace of (based on the times logged at the Barcelona test) Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren. But he has just committed to the team for the very long term, at least compared to how F1 contracts have historically gone. Red Bull has locked in a key and major performance factor by keeping Verstappen on board. At a rumoured $40million per year, the team is investing in the extra tenths his talent brings.

And so that is one thing that cannot be disputed about Verstappen and the type of champion he is to F1. He is his team’s best asset and, although it remains possible that he will jump ship to pastures new in 2029 or even before, given any contract can be negotiated away, he is Red Bull’s talisman, its world champion. And, perhaps most famously and historically of all, Max Verstappen will always be the driver who finally ended Hamilton’s run as the reigning champion.

Signing a five-year contract extension underlines Verstappen's status as Red Bull's talisman

Photo by: Erik Junius