Max Verstappen took the fight to Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 season and came out on top. He won 10 races and had 10 pole positions to his name during the season.

Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko mentioned that Verstappen really pushed the Red Bull to the limit and sometimes over the limit in the qualifying sessions. Max put in some dazzling laps in 2021, including the scintillating Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi laps. Marko also stated that Verstappen’s Saudi lap was “something extraterrestrial” until the accident.

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Max Verstappen is a thoroughbred racer who always goes to the limit: Marko

As reported by Motorsport-total, the Red Bull advisor mentioned that sometimes Verstappen gets 120% out of the car in qualifying sessions. He stated that the ability to get so much from the car helped Verstappen in the last half of 2021.

“Max is a thoroughbred racer who always goes to the limit. In qualifying 110, 120 percent out of the car, so much more than the car allows, I think this ability only came in the last third of this season [2021],” said Marko.

2022 will bring new rules and regulations in Formula One. It will give the midfield teams a chance to close the gap to Red Bull and Mercedes in the championship. But Marko is confident that they can give Verstappen the car to fight for the title in 2022 as well.

“Mercedes and we have the potential, the people, and the continuity. That again speaks for a duel at the highest level, especially since no driver can match the level of Verstappen and Hamilton. Max doesn’t need any start-up time. He’s always quick right away.” said Helmut.

Well, Max really did put up some stunning qualifying performances in 2021. And it may be in qualifying that he got the upper hand on Hamilton. Let’s hope that we see more of Lewis and Max’s battles in 2022.

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