Verstappen praised by Sky's Kravitz: 'That alone was worth a world title'
Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
- Nicole Mulder
Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz has praised Max Verstappen for how he handled a challenging 2024 season for Red Bull Racing. Despite the team facing difficulties in several areas, Verstappen’s resilience and performance stood out. Kravitz highlighted that Verstappen’s drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix, in particular, was "worthy of a championship in itself," underscoring the Dutchman’s ability to deliver exceptional results even when the odds were stacked against him.
Kravitz full of praise for Verstappen's 2024 season
Ted Kravitz, who has been critical of Max Verstappen at times in the past, has nothing but praise for how the Dutch driver handled the challenges faced by Red Bull Racing in 2024. Kravitz pointed to the turmoil surrounding team principal Christian Horner, as well as the issues with the RB20 car that Red Bull encountered later in the season. Despite these difficulties, Verstappen remained focused and continued to perform at the highest level.
“He really won the championship in the first half of the season, didn’t he?” Kravitz began at Sky Sports. “Winning seven out of the first 10 races, and then Brazil and Qatar – two kind of knockout blows at the end.
"Judging by Brazil itself, that was worthy of a world championship itself, and the work he had to do in the factory to get the car back after the wrong direction that it took, and, at some points, having to be the adult in the room," the pitlane reporter explained.
He continued: “When his dad was warring with his team boss, Helmut Marko was warring with other people, and there was an amount of unsettlement in Red Bull this year. Through it all, Max often helped and was the grown-up in the room."
Kravitz: '2024 is Verstappen's best world title'
Ted Kravitz believes that Max Verstappen's fourth world title in 2024 may have been his most impressive yet, considering the numerous challenges that arose throughout the season. From internal team struggles at Red Bull to issues with the RB20, Verstappen's ability to maintain his focus and deliver strong performances makes the title win even sweeter. “Even though you look at 2023 and having to keep knocking in those wins – all but one of the races of the season in 2023 he won, and that must be pretty difficult, regardless of how good the car was – 2023 is some achievement but 2024 I think has to be one of the best, if not the best.” Verstappen won 19 of Red Bull's 21 race victories in 2023. Former teammate Sergio Perez picked up the other two wins for the team, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz taking the only non-Red Bull victory of the 22-race season in Singapore.
This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels, too!