302 days translates to 9 months and 29 days. But for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, 302 days played very differently. From having 0 world championships and being dominated by Mercedes, to having two world championships and being the king of F1.
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Max and Red Bull won the 2021 season to finish. They can’t save it for later. But this season is the exact opposite – they’re out of the title race with four games to go.
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While the failures of rivals like Mercedes and Ferrari provide support, the credit is due. It’s a full year for Max. Red Bull makes cars like no other. One will go into the fleet history books.
On the Official F1 Podcast, Red Bull Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan was asked what made last year’s Max different from the current Max.
Monaghan said, “I’ve seen a guy who reassured Max with his performance. Disappointments like Bahrain, Australia didn’t derail him. He’ll come to see you and say ‘this has happened, that has happened, we’ll fix it’. You’ll see his calm, which hasn’t happened in the past Always.”
“Obviously, last year It was a tumultuous moment for Lewis [Hamilton], he fought all the way. This year, you know in the face of adversity, he showed incredible skill and confidence. We were lucky, if you look at Spain, we shouldn’t have won that one Race, but we did it. So…I’ve seen a more mature Max drive better than I’ve ever seen. He was great last year, but this year has a sense of calm and confidence,” he thinks.
As Paul said, the mental aspect of F1, or any sport for that matter, is critical to performance. While Max’s driving skills were outstanding, his belief in himself played a major role in his success.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen both have one at the crunch time Legends that provide an edge
when you have a driver with such absolute dominance It’s easy to see #2 overlooked when trying to win the World Championship. But Sergio Perez has been an equally important driver for Red Bull and Verstappen.
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Checo provided the Max title – he won the backing by slowing Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi last year. This reminds me of Max’s enduring “Checo is a legend” compliment from the evening.
A similar performance in Japan this year helped Max stamp the title. Perez battled Leclerc for P2 all night, eventually forcing the Frenchman to make a mistake that cost him his position.
This year’s story may be less dramatic or romantic, but it’s still integral. His help has ranged from Australia and Monaco to Singapore and Japan throughout the year.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Red Bull Receives $500 Million Title Sponsorship
Checo’s contribution to Red Bull and Max’s short time here has been fantastic. Perez will have bigger goals next year as Red Bull continues to dominate. Now that he has shown what he can do, his eyes will be on the jackpot.
