Some fans of F1 think that the best times were defined by the era of Ayrton Senna and Alain Proste’s rivalry. The others fondly remember Schumacher’s active competition with Häkkinen and Vielnevve (and again with Senna in the early days of his career). Max Verstappen is the most successful F1 driver of the last few seasons, but his competitors are strong and fierce. Born in a family of professional drivers, Verstappen has been actively breaking several records in Formula 1. But who are his biggest rivals? Let’s find out!
Max Verstappen’s Driving Style and Approach to Racing
Let’s begin with the fact that Verstappen is known to be fast. Very fast. The driver has several speed records under his belt. For example, for the fastest average lap time. He is known for driving with more instability compared to others, but he can handle a specific type of car, and it allows him to maneuver corners in a very fast manner. The preference for sensitive handling and oversteering would be something that an inexperienced driver would struggle with, but Verstappen’s skills allow him to handle everything elegantly.
When he is defensive, he is also aggressive. Collisions, sudden trajectory changes when braking, and many other things happened way too often during his career, with some leading to Formula 1 implementing new rules. Despite an incredible track record, it is important to remember that he has powerful competitors, so if you like online betting and plan to place wagers on his races, we strongly recommend researching the situation. Thankfully, there are plenty of online Formula 1 betting options that will provide you with great odds, so pick your favorite betting website and enjoy the show. After all, there are many ways to watch Formula 1 online.
Rivalry With Lewis Hamilton
This is a rivalry that defines today’s era of F1 racing and is so far the most heated in the careers of both. It marks the domination of the track transferring from Hamilton, who has been the force to be reckoned with for a long, long time, to Verstappen. Both are widely regarded to be among the best drivers of the last two decades.
The rivalry reached its peak during the 2021 season. To be precise, in most situations, when people talk about Verstappen vs. Hamilton, they mean the battle for the 2021 title. And it was heated. Things started to get more interesting during the Bahrain Grand Prix 2021 when Verstappen and Lewis fought toe-to-toe to win the race. Verstappen was doing well but went off-track and had to allow Hamilton to win. A few subsequent races were also victorious for Hamilton. But what followed was an impressive streak of wins for Verstappen: he won three Grand Prix in a row, becoming the youngest F1 driver to have won three consecutive games in three weeks.
The championship concluded the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both entering the race with the same number of points. Verstappen emerged as a winner, although there was a lot of controversy regarding the race since it involved a restart of a safety car during the last moments.
Rivalry With Charles Leclerc
While not as notable as the rivalry with Hamilton, the fight between Verstappen and Leclerc is highly significant as well. They fiercely competed since they were teens, participating in cart racing. The rivalry continued after both reached Formula 1. Some notable moments include Verstappen controversially passing Leclerc at the 2019 Austria Grand Prix and the first-lap collision between the two at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix. The 2022 Championship was also very heated, but Verstappen became victorious, with Leclerc becoming a runner-up. Surprisingly, both are friends off-track.
Rivalry With Sergio Pérez
Verstappen and Pérez are teammates, which makes their rivalry even more interesting, although it’s much less heated compared to the two we mentioned above. The drivers competed closely at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Pérez at the top. Nevertheless, in the majority of races, Verstappen usually comes first. Moreover, both drivers noted in several interviews that there is no rivalry between them.
Rivalry With Other Notable Drivers
Recently, during the 2024 Championship, Lando Norris emerged as a competitor to Verstappen. Whether their rivalry will get more heated is something that only time will tell, but things can go in an interesting direction.
Impact of Max Verstappen’s Rivalries on Formula 1
With Verstappen taking a dominant position in the sport during the last few years, his races and rivalries become the events to speak of. After all, the impact on the sport is immeasurable, including its publicity and technical aspects. In the next few sections, we will cover how his rivalries affected F1.
Influence on Race Strategies and Tactics
Verstappen has influenced the approach to several strategies. Moreover, some of his actions led directly to the emergence of some new rules. For example, sudden changes during braking were prohibited specifically as a response to his defensive moves against Hamilton at the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix. So far, there are quite a few restrictions and changes, mostly called “Verstappen Rules” by the press.
His aggressively defensive tactic has been becoming more popular among other drivers, although it’s too early to say how large the impact will be. Younger drivers also tend to emulate his career choices to quickly move through the ranks, a tactic that made Verstappen the youngest F1 driver when he was just 17, a record that is still unbroken.
Media and Fan Reactions
Verstappen is popular with the public: apart from being an exceptional driver, he is young and charismatic. The press loves him, and he also participated in several endorsements, although, surprisingly, not as actively as many other high-earning athletes. Some of his notable partnerships include Heineken and EA Sports.
Fans of Max Verstappen go by the name “Orange Army,” and there are songs and memes about the driver: the fact does not come as a surprise given his popularity. There is also a humorous song about him, “Super Max!” It is performed by the Dutch band Pitstop Boys.
Long-Term Legacy in Formula 1
Despite being young, Verstappen has been an F1 driver for a decade. His impact on the sport is significant and includes altered rules and added restrictions, the increasing popularity of defensive driving, and many other aspects. He is among the best of the best, and this era of Formula 1 will be remembered and defined by his decisions, performances, and rivalries.
Conclusion
Rivalries are what brings life into Formula 1. Competition makes things more heated, and, after all, isn’t it a point of any race? While there have been quite a few rivalries, many of them define the eras of Formula 1, and now it is time for the domination to shift from Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen. In this article, we explored the career and main competitors of Max Verstappen, who is currently the brightest F1 star.
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