Before Max Verstappen won his first championship in 2021, he had to face some difficult years in Formula 1. The era of Mercedes‘s dominance was one of the longest periods of supremacy by any team in the sport’s history. Lewis Hamilton was winning championships basically as a rule. And Max’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, recently opened up on how Max Verstappen became the dominant force he currently is.

When Verstappen arrived at the Formula 1 scene, there was little doubt that the Dutchman was destined for greatness. Some of his remarkable performances early on during his Red Bull career- like his win in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix in what was his debut race with the Milton Keynes squad- are proof enough of his abilities. Over the years, especially from 2017 to 2020, while Lewis was racking up his championships, Max honed his skills to become one of the highest-rated drivers in the sport. And thus, he eventually ended up dethroning Hamilton in what was a controversial season finale in 2021.

His race engineer, who was paired with the young prodigy midway through the 2016 season, faced the challenge of working with the then-18-year-old kid with exceptional talent and a straightforward personality. Despite the abrupt transition, Lambiase drew on his prior experience with various drivers to quickly establish rapport with Verstappen. Lambiase acknowledges that his prior experience proved invaluable, suggesting that without it, gaining Verstappen’s respect might have been more difficult.

Their early years together, however, were primarily focused on chasing Mercedes out of dominance. Lambiase emphasizes that Verstappen underwent significant learning experiences in the years leading up to 2021, particularly in refining his racecraft and prioritizing consistency over outright victory.

“Max learned some really harsh lessons in the two or three years before 2021,” said Lambiase according to a recent report from BBC. “His racecraft really was something that we focused on, making sure we were just picking up points when it wasn’t possible to win a race. We were concentrating on building his consistency, needing to be finishing every race, maybe not putting himself in a situation where he can end up in a 50/50 accident with another driver.“

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Can Sergio Perez pull out a Nico Rosberg-style season on Max Verstappen?

With Verstappen quickly catching up to Hamilton’s tally of 7 world championships, there’s a comparison to be made between Sergio Perez and the Dutchman, similar to what happened between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in 2016. Perez had some strong performances early in the 2023 season but seemed to struggle later on. Verstappen, on the other hand, dominated most races, except for one where Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari. This led to Verstappen clinching his third F1 World Title without much competition.

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The current level of dominance from Red Bull Racing has led to some suggesting that the only real competition for Verstappen might come from his teammate. David Terrien, a French racing driver, mentioned that it’s unlikely any other team will pose a threat to Verstappen soon, so it’s up to Perez to step up.

This idea is supported by the example of Nico Rosberg, who managed to snatch the title away from Hamilton during their time as teammates at Mercedes. Rosberg’s victory required an immense effort, and he even retired shortly after winning the championship, acknowledging that he couldn’t maintain that level of performance consistently. The suggestion is that Perez needs to adopt a similar approach if he wants to challenge Verstappen.

Terrien also commented on the difficulty of competing with a teammate like Verstappen, noting that Verstappen’s talent across all aspects of the sport can be daunting. He speculated that Verstappen’s approach might be frustrating for teammates, as it might seem like he’s not putting in maximum effort even when he is.

To sum it all up, it seems highly unlikely that anyone, including his teammate, will be able to challenge the might of Max Verstappen. What are your thoughts on the matter?

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