The Road To The Title
Come along as we relive Max Verstappen's path to glory in the 2022 Formula One Season.
Written by Oracle Red Bull Racing
It's often said that the mark of true champion is not in winning a championship but in repeating the feat, and in 2022 Max has not only doubled his title tally, he's done it in style - wrapping up a second crown with four races in hand, putting the Dutch driver in exalted company with only Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel being crowned with four or more races left in a season.
Teething Troubles
Max's march to his second title hasn't all been plain sailing. As F1's new era of competition dawned, the all-new RB18, built to a radically altered set of technical regulations that brought back ground effect, proved to be a fast but fickle beast.
At the opening round in Bahrain, Max struggled with brakes issues, which forced him to back out of fighting Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, then a steering wheel issue after his final pit stop and finally a fuel system problem forced him to retire from the race. “At the end of the day, motorsport is unpredictable and these things can happen, this is race one, we have plenty more ahead of us,” Max said afterwards.
Despite the opening round woes, Bahrain had clearly drawn the season's battle lines.
Unstoppable
Since the Austrian Grand Prix, Max went on a charge with 5 wins in a row, while Saturday pace continued to be elusive, with Max taking just two poles since Spielberg - Spa and Zandvoort. On Sundays Max has been unstoppable. In France he beat Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to the flag by 10 seconds and in Hungary he roared from 10th on the grid following a Q3 technical issue to land a brilliant win ahead of Hamilton. In Belgium the Dutchman was utterly irresistible, climbing from a nominal 14th on the grid to take a stunning win. The Championship leader rose six places on the opening lap alone and claimed the lead after just 11 flawless laps.
“The car was on rails,” Max laughed afterwards. “We picked the right places to pass and we could look after our tyres. Once we were in the lead, it was all about managing everything. This whole weekend has been incredible.”
The victory in Spa left Max a whopping 93 points ahead of Leclerc at the top of the standings and led Team Principal Christian Horner to sing the praises of the title-bound driver.
“Max, since winning the championship last year, has taken another step. It has in many ways released him and he's driving at an incredible level. He is a driver that is completely at one with the car and is in an absolute purple patch of his career.”
