Verstappen and perfection
Dethroned record holder Vettel admires F1 dominator
September 14, 2023, 8:14 a.m
Max Verstappen has taken a winning record in Formula 1 from Sebastian Vettel. Can a successful series be put into words? You don’t notice the moment of absolute perfection at all, says the German and praises the Dutchman effusively.
Sebastian Vettel has praised Formula 1 series winner Max Verstappen in the highest tones. The Dutch Red Bull driver recently surpassed Vettel’s previous record of nine Grand Prix successes in a row at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. In Singapore this weekend, Verstappen can extend the record to eleven.
“He’s now in a situation where he can control things and implements that control to perfection. I’m following the races this year and I find it admirable what he’s doing. I know, in some ways, from my own experience, how difficult it is “To have a series like this where everything is going well and you’re at the very highest point of your abilities. The other drivers can’t do that at the moment,” said Vettel. “You could say that Max’s car is superior, that may be the case, but still the other drivers don’t do the same job as Max, they make too many mistakes and are not quite as alert and attentive as him here or there at the moment.”
Max Verstappen (l.) holds Vettel during a race in November 2020.
(Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire)
Verstappen has become world champion twice in a row and is again dominating Formula 1 this year. Verstappen could complete his third title in a row in Japan in just one week.
Vettel raves about Verstappen’s basic speed
“Max’s talent was apparent early on. His time in karting was extremely successful at a very high level. He was also able to adapt very quickly to the switch to a single-seater car; he was only 17 years old when “He got into Formula 1. You could almost say that he was still in puberty,” said Vettel, who ended his own Formula 1 career at the end of last season. “When you have children, you learn a little more about your own childhood and what happens there. It’s completely normal that at that age you make mistakes, try things out and maybe misjudge things. But what sets Max apart is that he learned very quickly and maintained his high basic speed.”
Vettel can still remember his own series from 2013, when he was also successful nine times in a row at Red Bull. “People like to say: If it’s going well, then it’s going. You don’t notice that moment when it’s going so well. In moments when things aren’t going well, you often long for it and you try to come back,” said the Heppenheimer.
Vettel about “clarity in the head” and his own wealth of experience
A lot of things would have to come together “on a run like this.” “It’s of course the car, the team, but also your own performance, the clarity in your head, the balance, also life outside the racetrack. Everything has to come together so that things run consistently well,” explained Vettel, who was in Singapore in 2019 Ferrari won a Formula 1 race for the last time. Verstappen was third at the time.
“As the years go by, you draw on the wealth of experience that can help you find your way back into this situation. But it still doesn’t make it any easier because you can very quickly lose your rhythm again and get thrown off your calm,” said Vettel . “The secret is not to let that happen. But it’s not that easy.”