Formula 1: Against all odds: Verstappen’s wild Red Bull year

The spicy scandal surrounding team boss Christian Horner was just the beginning. In a year with many negative headlines about power struggles, hostility and sporting setbacks, Max Verstappen saved the sometimes shockingly weak industry leader Red Bull from total loss. If he is actually crowned Formula 1 world champion for the fourth time this Sunday morning at the best German breakfast time and is one step closer to legendary status in the premier motorsport class, then there is a reason: Verstappen himself.

“For me, Max Verstappen is the best driver in the world and he has proven that in the difficult phases of this season,” praised his top boss, Red Bull’s managing director Oliver Mintzlaff. “He never lost sight of his goal of becoming world champion and is well on his way to winning the title for the fourth time in a row,” the 49-year-old told the German Press Agency.

A sentence that says everything about Verstappen this season

Talent is one thing, determination creates world champions. “If you want to win on the track, if you want to be a champion, you have to be at the limit,” emphasized Verstappen in a BBC interview before the possibly decisive Las Vegas Grand Prix (7 a.m. CET/RTL and Sky). If the 27-year-old Dutchman loses a maximum of two points to his McLaren challenger Lando Norris, who has recently shown nerves again, he will be world champion as in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

With four titles, he would be on par with the German former Red Bull star Sebastian Vettel and the Frenchman Alain Prost. Only the two record champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher won more titles with seven each and the Argentinian Juan-Manuel Fangio with five. Well-known names in motorsport, among which quite a few Verstappen have long been counted, even without their fourth triumph still to come.

The accolade from the former Formula 1 ruler

Bernie Ecclestone called him after the Brazilian Grand Prix, said Verstappen’s team boss Horner. According to Horner, Ecclestone, now 94 years old and managing director of Formula 1 for decades, said: “I’ve seen all the greats, but this is one of the best I’ve ever seen.” Verstappen had previously won the race in São Paulo from 17th place on the grid under the most difficult conditions. “That was pure talent, pure magic under extreme conditions,” wrote the Spanish sports paper “As” and demanded: “Give him the trophy now.”

The final coronation only seems like a formality. Even his pursuer Norris sees it this way: “The door is almost closed.” But until this opportunity in the gambling metropolis there is a season in which Verstappen could neither rely on a top-functioning car, let alone a harmonious atmosphere in his racing team. Quite the opposite: The allegations of inappropriate behavior by an employee against Horner weighed on Red Bull for months.

The radio fun with his race engineer turned serious

Horner’s retirement seemed imminent, fueled by public statements from Verstappen’s father Jos. Then again, things seemed to be getting tight in the internal power struggle for Verstappen’s intimate, Helmut Marko, 81-year-old motorsport consultant for Red Bull. A crisis summit with Mintzlaff also ended speculation about Verstappen’s possible early departure despite his contract up to and including 2028.

At least Verstappen wasn’t particularly deterred by this in terms of sport and won seven of the first ten races. But when it came to further developing the car, the team chose the wrong path. Suddenly Verstappen went ten Grands Prix without a win. Tactical errors arose, and even key disciplines such as changing tires suddenly caused problems. The often humorous and cheeky dialogue between Verstappen and his racing engineer Gianpiero Lambiase sometimes degenerated into mutual antagonism.

In May, the departure of design genius Adrian Newey after this season was announced, and during the summer break it was announced that sports director Jonathan Wheatley would be leaving the Red Bull team at the end of the year.

Verstappen also got the most out of the car during this phase – and kept the loss of points within limits. He fights for every point with all his might, which in the duel with the stronger McLaren with his friend Norris revealed nothing other than the tough and uncompromising racing driver in Max Verstappen.

At the limit – and always a little bit beyond it, whether he was punished for it or not. “If you want to become world champion, you can’t afford bad results,” emphasized Verstappen. With just two races to go, this ambition could have paid off once again – despite all the odds. “If you prevail at the end of a season like this with ups and downs, then that shows the outstanding quality of Max Verstappen and our entire team,” emphasized Mintzlaff.