Chandhok saw 'red mist' from Verstappen: 'But no doubt the best in 2024'
F1 News
While Karun Chandhok saw 'the red mist' in Max Verstappen's performances in 2024, the former driver believes the Dutchman was the best driver of the season. The Indian also pointed to the special performance this year other than his statement victory at Interlagos, that could show the best of Verstappen's qualities.
Karun Chandhok believes Verstappen was the best driver this current season, however, he was not as 'metronomic' as he was back in 2022, when he battled against Charles Leclerc and Ferrari early on in the year. "I thought in Budapest with Lewis, Abu Dhabi with Oscar at the first corner, Mexico, obviously, with Lando. So we saw the red mist a few times. So I don't know if it was his best, but he was still, there's no doubt about it, the number one driver this year," the former driver began in Sky Sports' F1 Podcast.
However, he believes the Dutchman did not outperform the challenging RB20 car, as no one could do that. He instead referred to the fact that Verstappen could consistently get the most out of his each weekend. "There is no such concept as outperforming the car. He maximised the full potential of the car. The other driver failed to maximise the potential of the car. You can't physically outperform the car. People say this in cars all the time. It drives me nuts."
'Verstappen's performance went under the radar there'
Alongside Chandhok, Ted Kravitz was also largely positive about Verstappen's season, saying that his drive in Brazil deserved a 'championship in itself', and also underlined that the now four-time world champion had to 'be the adult in the room' on occasions during a turmoil period within the team.
However, while the Indian sees the Brazil GP as an obvious example, he named another Grand Prix where Verstappen could show his best side, together with the Red Bull Racing driver finishing in P2 in Singapore GP, the only one the Austrians failed to win in their dominant 2023 campaign.
"But actually, Barcelona, for me, was an outstanding drive. And it's one that isn't really talked about. Because McLaren, I thought, had the quickest car. Lando got pole by a comfortable margin. Max, at the start, got ahead of Lando, but George got past them both. He knew if he got stuck behind George in the first stint, he would cook the front tyres. He took the initiatives, used the battery deployment in the right way, passed George to get in front on the opening lap, and that set him up for victory," he explained what made that win special.
"And to me, that kind of summed up the season is that Max seized every opportunity that came through, even when he didn't have the best car," Chandhok concludes.
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