Max Verstappen took another step forward in his development in Formula One in the 2019 season, although he still remained well off the pace of competing for the Drivers’ Championship.
The Red Bull driver made his breakthrough in the 2016 campaign, becoming the youngest man to win a Grand Prix with his triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen has made gradual inroads, but this success has not been the catalyst that would allow the Dutchman to take the sport by storm. Instead, he has been forced to watch Lewis Hamilton continue to dominate Formula One with Mercedes, winning the last three crowns on the bounce. Hamilton is now one win away from matching Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven Championship victories.
Verstappen is one of the drivers on the scene that will be planning to be the leader of the next generation, although the Brit will want to deny the upstarts the opportunity to usurp him from the top spot.
Verstappen has claimed that he would be the top driver in the sport had he had the quality of car that Hamilton has had at his disposal during his time with Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc would no doubt suggest the same – with Vettel proving the point during his run of four-straight crowns between 2010 and 2013.
It would take a decline in the form of Hamilton and an improvement in the consistency of Verstappen on the track for him to win the title in 2020, currently being backed in the latest F1 odds at 13/2 to lift the Drivers’ Championship.
He had brief moments in the last campaign where he proved that he can string podium results together, notably at the end of the term when he finished third in the United States and won the Brazilian Grand Prix before placing second in Abu Dhabi.
The 22-year-old will need to perform to that level throughout the season while hoping to avoid problems with his vehicle. Hamilton was blessed with a clean campaign, completing all 19 of the races. Verstappen endured two retirements, although both came due to collisions rather than mechanical issues with his Red Bull.
The latter of the two, which occurred at the Japanese Grand Prix, involved a collision with Leclerc when attempting to pass the Ferrari driver. He also endured another accident with Kimi Raikkonen in Belgium that knocked him out of the race on the first lap, although the Dutchman had put forward an underwhelming start.
Gaining experience along with stronger performances in qualifying to avoid the chaos at the start of races, giving a clean path in front of him will help Verstappen avoid these collisions in the future. It is a learning curve that all drivers must go through, and the greats of the sport are no different. Hamilton and Vettel have both had their issues, and it is the same for the Dutchman and Leclerc.
Although he may bleat about having an inferior car to Hamilton, the opportunity is there for him next season to become a stronger presence in the title race and to at least put the Brit under pressure. Until he can prove he can become a nuisance to Hamilton, there is no way he can put down a title claim unless the speed of his Red Bull improves in the future.