Max Verstappen Entered his name in the history books when Won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Sunday and became Formula One World Champion for the second time in the process. F1 as a sport is booming in popularity, especially after the 2021 season in which Verstappen won his first title in the final leg of the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi. However, last year’s season finale was shrouded in controversy over how the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the sport’s governing body, organized the race, with a misinterpretation of its own rules leading to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Worked to Verstappen’s advantage to overtake him. and win the title. Thus despite his on-track talent, Verstappen was not seen as a real winner. In 2022, the Red Bull Racing driver left no room for such doubts by producing one of the sport’s most impressive title campaigns. The 25-year-old from the Netherlands has won 12 of the 18 races so far and has finished on the podium in two other races to hold the title with four rounds in the year. Blessed with racing genes – his father Jos is a former F1 driver and his mother Sophie Kumpen, a skilled racer in karts – Verstappen was brought up to become the Formula One World Champion.
But in his early years, he was prone to make mistakes, was often too aggressive, and at times his driving was at a dangerous threshold. However, over the past four years, Verstappen has matured to strike a balance by cutting errors without compromising on his pace and aggression. Despite being 46 points below Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after the first three races, Verstappen remained calm to slowly eliminate the deficit. In races in Hungary, Belgium and Italy, where he often started from the middle of the pack, Verstappen was attentive on the opening lap to take resounding wins from the lower grid positions as he went on a five-race winning streak. title. For fans of the sport, who whetted their appetites after last year’s pulsating battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, 2022 was a damp squib as the promise of an early season for Ferrari and Leclerc was riddled with reliability issues, strategic blunders, and more. And as a mix of driver errors staggered, fans ruffled. Tough fight for the title. Verstappen is now the 17th member of an elite club of drivers to have won multiple titles. If his team Red Bull can continue to give him competitive machinery over the next few years, it could be the start of the Verstappen era in Formula One.