Brundle: 'Verstappen is at a level that will take some serious beating'

Martin Brundle sees that Max Verstappen has set the bar extremely high for next season. In his column for Sky Sports Brundle analyses Red Bull's dominant season and wonders if anyone can even come close to Verstappen next year.

There is no disputing that Verstappen dominated this year. The Dutchman finished the championship with a lead over Charles Leclerc of almost 150 points, meaning Verstappen could have crashed out five times without being in danger for a moment. Among constructors, that lead was extended as much as 200 points over Ferrari.

Brundle therefore acknowledges in his column that nobody could fault Verstappen or Red Bull this year. "A tale of numerous pole positions and victories along clever strategies, fast pit stops and strong reliability. Congratulations to them all at the track and in the factories, it was immense. Nothing can take away from the fact that they have had a completely dominant season."

Looking ahead to next season, Brundle wonders if anyone can even come close to the reigning world champion. "I already described Verstappen's driving style as 'Michael Schumacher-esque'," said the analyst. "It seemed however slow he was driving his car to preserve tyres he was still pulling away from the field. Max is at a level which will take some serious beating in the next few seasons."

In view of the tension in the competition, Brundle does hope that Ferrari and Mercedes can close the gap to Red Bull. He also hopes that someone from midfield can climb to the front, for example Alpine, McLaren or Aston Martin, so that the battle for the title next year will be more exciting than this season.