Red Bull and Helmut Marko knew who, or rather what, they were getting themselves into when they signed Max Verstappen as a youngster. With 3 consecutive driver’s championships, the boy who sat on an F1 seat when he was just 17 easily destroyed legends on the track. The world was amazed, but one man, who had seen his talent up close and personal, wasn’t too surprised. His father, Jos Verstappen.

Verstappen Sr. has guided, coached, and accompanied Max Verstappen to a vast majority of the races in his career. Naturally, he knows his boy inside and out. However, the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix was one event that surprised even Jos Verstappen. In just his second year in Formula One, the current three-time world champion proved to everyone that he not only belonged in the sport but would dominate the track in the coming years.

Max Verstappen’s interchangeable weather brilliance in Brazil

While Sao Paulo often brings to mind Lewis Hamilton’s maiden championship victory in 2008, Brazil 2016 is underrated. It was marred by rain, causing most cars to slide off rather dramatically from the track. Even the 19-year-old Max Verstappen made a mistake, almost costing him the whole race. However, he was able to save the car from hitting the wall, before producing some spectacular moves against the rest of the grid.

One particular move that he pulled on Nico Rosberg, the eventual champion of the year, is burned into fan memories. Verstappen went around the outside, in a wetter part of the track, with the risk of losing the car any second.

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However, the Dutch superstar made it stick, showcasing a Schumacher-esque ability to drive in the rain. After the race, Jos Verstappen commented, “I think I have never seen something like this. I must say he managed to surprise me today, and I have known him for a very long time.”And to top it all off, the late legend Niki Lauda also tipped his hat off to the Dutch driver.

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Fast forward seven years later, he is now a three-time world champion who is well in the conversation of being the greatest driver of all time. However, like most drivers on the grid, Verstappen also likes to take it one season at a time, and the focus is on 2024 now.

Max Verstappen’s 2024 ambitions

The three-time world champion has pretty much indicated that he’s not looking to stay in F1 throughout his motorsport career. He wants to try out different types of racing, and he has endurance racing set on his mind in particular.

However, speculations say that as long as Red Bull provides him with a race-winning car, he’ll continue to be in Formula One. Red Bull’s dominant streak could come to an end after the new regulations kick in in 2026, so Verstappen has two sure years to make the best out of the current regulations.

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He will once again set out as the strong favorite to win the ’24 championship. Even if McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes all make significant improvements to their cars.