Max Verstappen may have a young head on his shoulders, but he’s built up a wealth of experience in racing already and is rapidly proving himself to be a major contender for the F1 World Championship.
The driver from Genk, Belgium, became the youngest F1 driver in history when he joined Scuderio Toro Ross in 2015 and is also the division’s youngest race winner in history.
While serving Red Bull Racing, which he has been doing since 2016, he’s carved a formidable reputation for himself and has become a regular upon the podium. Last season, he finished third overall.
How’s Verstappen been looking this season?
Verstappen made a clear statement of intent by taking pole position in the first grand prix of the 2021 season but was unable to make as well on that. He finished second in Bahrain, a result which he corrected with a win at the Emilia Romagna.
It took two second place finishes, one in Spain and one in Portugal, before Verstappen took the number one spot on the podium in Monaco and also took the lead in the championship.
Sadly, frustration would follow in Azerbaijan, in a chaotic race that featured a standing restart and, for Verstappen, a blown-out tire that would prevent him from finishing the race. Viewers around the world saw him kicking the tire in frustration.
Verstappen had looked certain to extend his lead in Baku before the tire incident, and it looked as if he’d have to surrender his lead in the race and in the championship. But fate stood in the way, and somehow the defending champion, Lewis Hamilton, managed to lock up, allowing the Netherlander to hang onto his championship lead.
But can he win?
Although his results so far this season clearly appear to be throwing down the gauntlet to Hamilton and Mercedes, ‘no’ seems to be the answer of some bloggers out there, who see Red Bull winning the Constructors’ championship but Hamilton lifting the Drivers’ trophy at the end of the season.
Not all, though, have dismissed the flying Dutchman. Hamilton may be the favorite, but Verstappen sent out a big warning to him last season with a win in the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Now, some F1 bloggers feel that Red Bull Honda finally have an engine that can challenge Mercedes, and Verstappen is the one behind the wheel. The team have enjoyed a much stronger start to the season than in some of its previous seasons, and 2021 could be the season it all comes together. Hamilton is going to have a major fight on his hands.
What are the odds?
Despite everything that’s been going on out on the track, Hamilton is still the favorite to lift the Driver’s title, according to one of the major online sportsbook. His odds are -125, whereas Verstappen enjoys odds of +100. As the season has progressed, the odds of both drivers have shortened.
What about Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas? Sportsbooks seem to have little faith in them, even as the next biggest favorites. Their odds stand at +5000 and +15000 respectively, with the odds of Perez winning shortening after his victory in Azerbaijan.
Do the experts consider him a potential winner?
Whereas some F1 blogging enthusiasts are turning out to be naysayers when it comes to the predictions of whether Verstappen could become the new F1 champion, people who know exactly what it’s like to be in the thick of the action have a different opinion.
Take retired racing legend David Coulthard, who was once a Red Bull driver himself and became the highest scoring British driver of all time with the team. The Scot believes Verstappen has got what it takes to go all the way.
According to the British newspaper The Independent, Coulthard has told another UK newspaper, the Daily Mail, that Verstappen had enough experience and enough maturity to win the championship, and that the Dutchman was more than ready to win the championship. He also believes Red Bull have outright pace now, a factor to which he attributes part of the strength of the Mercedes team.
Reliability is another aspect which he considers has been a strong part of Mercedes’ game. The only way Coulthard sees Verstappen missing out on the championship is precisely that: reliability. If his car lets him down, it won’t be the Dutchman’s year just yet.
Maybe yes, maybe no
Meanwhile, a lot of writers at the official Formula 1 website have predicted that Hamilton will defend his title successfully. Some feel that Hamilton and Mercedes are the ultimate combination, although there’s a consensus that Verstappen and Red Bull will be pushing them all the way.
Not everyone on the team is as pessimistic about Verstappen’s prospects, however. Some feel that this could Red Bull and his’s 201. The feeling is that every great has their day and that empires don’t last forever. Some would like to see Verstappen take the title.
Max Verstappen has been making a name for himself in Formula 1. Opinion is divided on whether he’ll be crowned the champion at the end of the season, but the one thing on which many agree is that he’s certainly capable. It’s unrealistic to think he isn’t, and to rule him out wouldn’t be the best idea if you were thinking of betting on the F1.
