On Mount Everest: Formula 1 despairs of Verstappen
The Verstappen hit "Super-Max" boomed from one of the yachts behind the paddock on the final evening of Formula 1 on Yas Island. One question was booming in the minds of the competition: How can Max Verstappen be beaten? There are less than 100 days to go until the competition from the big manufacturers Mercedes and Ferrari can make their next attempt to slow down the Red Bull racing team, which was once considered a party team, and prevent Verstappen's fourth title triumph in a row.
But the air is very thin for the pursuers, who have been humiliated so often this year. "We have a Mount Everest ahead of us to catch up with Red Bull," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "Red Bull have won by 17 seconds and haven't touched the car since August, so it's pretty easy to imagine where they'll be next year," said Wolff's star driver Lewis Hamilton.
Break until spring
Over 1000 laps in the lead, 19 race wins by Verstappen, 21 out of 22 by Red Bull. Never before has a team or a driver been so dominant in one year in the history of Formula 1 since 1950. "It won't go on like this, but we still want to win," said Red Bull's Motorsport Director Helmut Marko.
But who knows, maybe it will continue like this when the season kicks off in Bahrain on March 2 with a record 24 Grand Prix races. 24 opportunities for Verstappen to extend his 54 victories and close in on Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91).
24 opportunities also on the way to a fourth title in a row - just like Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull from 2010 to 2013. Verstappen already surpassed Vettel's 53 Grand Prix successes with his victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Papa Verstappen is proud
"Unprecedented consistency," wrote "De Telegraaf" from Verstappen's Dutch homeland. "These are fabulous records," said the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger in view of the previously unattained 1003 leading laps or the number of victories in one year or 21 podium finishes.
He only missed out on the top three once - in fifth place in Singapore - and finished second twice. "I'm very proud of you," Jos Verstappen radioed to his son in the cockpit after the last finish of the year.
The fact that Verstappen has become what he is now is also down to his father. Although Verstappen had already been crowned world champion after the sprint in Qatar on October 7, he did not let up - on the contrary.
He won the remaining six Grand Prix races. In the end, he won seven in a row, having already broken Vettel's record from the 2013 season during the season by winning ten times in a row.
"I think it's simply because of the way I grew up. I can't go into a weekend and not give it my all," he emphasized. "I'd be annoyed with myself and I know the people around me would be annoyed with me if I did that."
Competition leaves only hope
The competition is becoming increasingly desperate. Charles Leclerc, once touted as the Scuderia's future world champion and of the same age as Verstappen, remains hopeful after his fifth consecutive year at Ferrari, while disillusionment seems to be the greater factor. "There's still a long way to go to match the speed of Red Bull."
Red Bull stopped development on the overpowering RB 19 early on, it was simply not necessary. Saying goodbye to perhaps the best car the team has put on the tarmac since it started in 2005 is difficult for everyone. "Hopefully we can use the lessons learned from the RB 19 and apply them to the RB 20 so that we can defend the titles," emphasized Christian Horner, who was already Red Bull Team Principal with the RB 1.
Mercedes gives itself courage
For the 20th model, he and Verstappen can once again rely on the genius of designer Adrian Newey, who has played a key role in the racing team's success story. He has been part of the team since 2006. But the soon-to-be 65-year-old also raves about Verstappen and praises his complex skills at the wheel, be it handling the tires or his ability to read the race: "Max is pretty exceptional at it."
The highly praised and highly decorated driver himself is aware that it will be difficult to repeat the superlative season of the past. But whether the promise made by Mercedes team boss Wolff will cause him any worries during the Christmas and winter break remains questionable. "We have to reach for the stars, and that will happen," Wolff emphasized - the sky is also closer from Mount Everest.
Despite the challenges ahead, Mercedes is determined to climb "Mount Everest" and challenge Red Bull's dominance in Motorsport, specifically in Formula 1. The GP Abu Dhabi marked Verstappen's 54th victory, bringing him closer to Hamilton and Schumacher's record, and Red Bull's success in the race left little room for doubt about their form heading into the new season.
Source: www.dpa.com
