Why Verstappen and Leclerc can bust a myth about early F1 coronations

For many, the final four rounds of this Formula 1 season will now arrive as little more than an afterthought. That’s understandable. Max Verstappen has wrapped up his second world title in good time and the much less exciting contest for the constructors’ crown is almost certainly going to go to Red Bull. Even though the battle for fourth between McLaren and Alpine will rage on, that’s a less compelling subplot. The major sporting headlines have already been written. 

Verstappen himself hasn’t done much to dispel that damp squib sentiment. Once the bewildering events that immediately followed the chequered flag in the Japanese Grand Prix had settled, he reckoned: “I’ve got four race weekends at least to celebrate… there is no real pressure anymore”. 

While not every campaign can be expected to go down to the wire as per 2021 (and if it did, just as controversially each time, that would be exhausting!) there’s little denying that some of the shine has now been lost for the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi GPs. But to go all the way and say they have become meaningless Sunday time drains feels a little unfair.  

Certainly, before the world championship was created and there wasn’t a crown at stake, for half a century individual races were gripping enough to keep people enthralled and allow motorsport to flourish. The grand prize at the end of an afternoon’s racing alone was enough of an incentive. 

Then, wind on seven decades to now. Despite what Verstappen says about his easier run to the end, if he and Leclerc find themselves wheel-to-wheel at Austin this weekend, you can bet they will still fight hammer and tongs. They are racers who are paid to do a job they love and, from what we know and observe of the two protagonists, it’s in their nature to dice spectacularly.

There’s also a psychological upper hand to be gained. So many credit Nico Rosberg winning the championship in 2016 to the foundations he laid at the tail end of the previous term when he triumphed in the final three rounds as Lewis Hamilton came down after the completion of his title hat-trick. Not unrelated, Leclerc has been clear that Ferrari needs to ace its strategy and pitstops for the rest of the season as a dress rehearsal for 2023. But Verstappen will want to keep the Scuderia in second place by winning the final races anyway. As such, it’s in no one’s interest to back out of a duel. 

Verstappen and Leclerc went toe-to-toe in spectacular fashion at the start in Japan, and Leclerc will be keen not to give Verstappen an easy ride as the season comes to a close

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Granted, something small would be lost knowing they weren’t ultimately duking it out for the title, but the spectacle of the Red Bull and Ferrari scrapping ferociously lap after lap as they did in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to kick off the year would still be blockbuster. Besides, after Leclerc crashed out of the lead in the French GP, we all - Verstappen included - knew where the championship spoils would end up. The trophy engravers could have got to work in late July.

But that didn’t make Leclerc pulling off three passes on his rival for victory in Austria any less exciting. And it might not even take the two of them dicing frenetically to keep an audience hooked. Verstappen’s mesmeric recovery from grid penalties to surge from 13th to an unassailable lead in Belgium made for compelling viewing over the opening 12 laps. The drama of Leclerc pitting to have a visor tear-off removed from his brake duct contributed only a very small part of that. 

Building the case that it’s still absolutely worth watching the rest of the season in anticipation of something spectacular is that Verstappen can still further cement his place in history. As a GP driver with 32 race wins and already two titles to his name, he will long be remembered. But Verstappen can add to his legacy by featuring in the record books.  

Of course, Verstappen could earn those records by driving off into the distance to render the four remaining races as tedious affairs. But that could happen at any point in the season

Should he win the final four rounds, he will take his tally in 2022 to 16 victories. That would smash the current record of 13, as shared by Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013). Bear in mind, the latter remained unbeaten after the summer break that year, winning the last three rounds after his title coronation in India. Even though Verstappen is right to declare the pressure is off, he has the capacity to do similar. And should he take the clean sweep, he would necessarily match his own 2021 record of 18 podiums in a season. 

Less glamorous but still of note, Verstappen’s dominance this year could return him the most points in a single season. With a sprint race at Interlagos plus bonus scores for fastest lap, he could quite conceivably build his current haul of 366 to surpass Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 yardstick of 413 points. All are entirely plausible given his, the team’s and the RB18’s current might. 

Of course, Verstappen could earn those records by driving off into the distance to render the four remaining races as tedious affairs. But that could happen at any point in the season. Just because one title has been sealed and the other will surely follow, now as before, is not to render the rest of the year as nothing more than a meandering epilogue. 

He's already claimed the world title, but Verstappen could break the all-time wins in a season record and claim the most points ever from a single season

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images