Verstappen pushes the limits in F1 and it is almost forgotten

Why dominance belongs in Formula 1

Dominant cars in Formula 1 have appeared in different eras. Whether you are talking about McLaren from the 1980s, Michael Schumacher's Ferraris, Sebastian Vettel's Red Bulls or Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes cars. They all had seasons with more wins than one could imagine. However, never was one driver as dominant as Verstappen in 2023.

A dominant car is one thing, but a dominant driver is another. You can point to a top driver's teammate, but that is too easy. Ayrton Senna didn't have the very best teammate by his side in 1990 and 1991 either, but he didn't win every race weekend either. The same can be said of Schumacher. Extremely dominant in 2002 and 2004, but Schumacher was never as consistent as Max Verstappen.

Vettel came closest. In a series of races in 2013, Vettel proved unbeatable. Nine wins in a row, giving the German his fourth world title. Mark Webber was not a bad driver but, like Sergio Perez now, unable to take another victory.

Lewis Hamilton was also not consistent enough between 2014 and 2020 to win so many races in a row. Indeed, Nico Rosberg won more in a row between 2015 and 2016 (7) than Hamilton would ever manage. Hamilton twice won five races in a row.

Why dominating in F1 is so hard

It shows how difficult it is to dominate as a driver in Formula 1. No matter how fast your car is, anything can go wrong. A strategy that doesn't quite work out, a safety car at the wrong time, a setup that doesn't work that weekend or a track where your teammate is just a bit stronger. Streaks have been broken often enough, but not Verstappen's yet.

And then you get to what makes this so special: Verstappen cannot do anything wrong. Just go over the last few Grands Prix/seasons. When was Verstappen's last mistake? You might consider this a normality, but it is not. Take Carlos Sainz, for example, who had to cede his lead to Verstappen in the Italian GP because of one small mistake. Or take Hamilton, who just this weekend overlooked Oscar Piastri, and Charles Leclerc who has been in the wall several times with his Ferrari this season. They sometimes seem small and trivial mistakes, but Verstappen rarely makes them either.

Verstappen is a grade above Hamilton

That almost robotic characteristic makes Verstappen again better than the previous generation. Every generation produces another talent that is better than the previous generation because the coaching/training has been just a bit better. Ayrton Senna was better than his predecessors because of his unique driving style gained from karting, Schumacher added a bizarrely high level of fitness, and Hamilton raised the bar regarding consistency in races. Verstappen, however, has added to that.

Indeed, Verstappen, like Hamilton, has been able to be a metronome in races. Like the Briton, Verstappen can drive the same pace for laps, but Verstappen has raised the bar in that he can mentally generate this every race of the year. Whereas Hamilton (see the title battle with Rosberg in 2016 and Verstappen in 2021) has a weaker phase at the beginning of the season, Verstappen only has one or two weaker weekends in an entire year.

That near-perfection in quality is what makes Verstappen so special. Yes, the sport would be a lot more exciting if Verstappen got more competition, but Verstappen does not get competition because he has set the bar much higher, like Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton and a few others did before him. It is not up to Max to make the sport more exciting. It is up to guys like Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to grow to Verstappen's level. They need to become faultless to beat Verstappen.

It is easy to think that Verstappen is winning so much because the RB19 is dominant, and Perez is not driving as well. Perez is no walkover and is really doing everything he can to beat Verstappen. The same goes for all competitors, but they simply do not succeed.

For Verstappen to win is not boring but special. Embrace it because you are not going to experience this often. Verstappen raises the bar in F1. He pushes the boundaries and is yet another benchmark for many new up-and-coming talent. It is only a matter of time before someone surpasses this again. So enjoy it as long as it lasts.