“He Deserves It”: Max Verstappen Finds Unlikely Ally in Rival Camp Ferrari

F1 drivers hardly praise each other as there’s very stiff competition involved. The level of rivalry is too high, as every driver wants to win and be the best. Well, not always though. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz recently applauded the Dutchman’s performance in the 2022 F1 season. As the Red Bull driver is slated to pick up his second F1 championship title soon, admiration poured in from his fellow F1 driver.

Talking about this, the Spanish driver conveyed, “I think this is the biggest difference that even in the days that he’s had maybe a bit of an off, he still managed to go and win. Since the first [three] races they’ve also been super-reliable and you add up all those things and he’s having an incredible season and I think he deserves it.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen “The Deserving Champion” – Red Bull Has Final Say on the Matter 

“I think he’s had a very strong season. He’s done very little mistakes. Whenever he’s done mistakes – like in Spain, he spun in the same place than me, in Hungary he spun – he’s recovered from the mistakes and gone [on to] win,” asserted the Ferrari driver.

Despite the dominance, Christian Horner has a Max Verstappen complaint against Lewis Hamilton

The 2022 F1 season has been Max Verstappen’s year without a doubt. The driver has picked up 11 wins in the 14 races he completed and has already opened up a massive 116 points gap to P2 Charles Leclerc.

What was supposed to be a championship fight between Verstappen and Leclerc has ended up being a lopsided battle in favor of the Red Bull driver.

However, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has a complaint despite the dominant performances. It’s not against Verstappen though, it’s against Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull team principal believes Hamilton has never praised or applauded Verstappen’s talents.

WATCH THIS STORY: Max Verstappen Wittily Responds to Backlash for 2021 Championship Win

In the Beyond The Grid podcast by F1, Horner shared that he has never heard the seven-time world champion praising the driver for the performances Verstappen delivered recently.

All in all, the F1 world has seen a new face of domination in the form of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz has not forgotten to put his plaudits in.