The young man who entered the Formula 1 circuit with excitement coursing through his veins and who went on to make history has gradually mentioned his name in the list of Formula 1’s all-time greats. Max Verstappen who made his debut as yet another prodigious talent in 2015, is now a popular performer.

The Red Bull driver this year put on a masterclass and won the championship with four races remaining. The manager of Verstappen, Raymond Vermuelen, claims that the orange army has flocked to support their “Hero” due to the Dutchman’s obvious talent. Due to the nation’s tiny size, it boasts comparatively few sporting legends. There was no local hero after Johan Cruyff’s achievement, but Verstappen’s career has perhaps attracted greater attention.

In an interview with motorsportsmagazine.com Raymond Vermuelen said, “I think that’s the last big hero was Cruyff. That’s one of the biggest export products what we had in Holland, but Max is representing Holland on the fantastic way. He got the support from all Dutchies and they like to travel, so they bring the orange kit all over the world. And that is sort of reflecting the Dutch spirit.”

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We all recall the 202. 1 season as being the one with the fiercest rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman’s miraculous victory at the time ignited a conflict that has continued to this day, and the 2022 season saw a single incident at the Interlagos circuit that allayed the fears of the fans who had waited an entire year to see the intense battle.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton drive differently against each other

Throughout this season, Mercedes had struggled with their porpoising issue, whereas Red Bull had fixed the problem at the beginning of the season. However, as the season’s final weekend rolled around, the Mercedes experienced an improvement in their performance and was able to race the Red Bull, which led to a collision with the Austrian team.

After the incident, several F1 analysts and specialists shared their thoughts, and now Mark Hughes has come up with his opinion. Speaking in the Motorsport Magazine podcast, Mark Hughes said that the two drivers compete differently against each other. He said, “You saw it as early as Bahrain, the first race, where [Verstappen and Leclerc] were passing and repassing and Max was giving him room. That’s just not how he races against Lewis.”

Adding further, he said, “It’s a difficult one because Lewis sometimes gives him room and sometimes thinks, ‘no’. Brazil was one of those occasions [with Lewis saying] ‘I know what you’re trying to do and you’re not going to do it’, and Max was saying, ‘I know what you’re going to do and I’m coming through anyway.’ He does race Lewis differently to others.”

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Though the Dutchman won this year’s championship relatively easily, do you think the Interlagos incident was just a calm before the storm in 2023?