Max Verstappen won his eighth consecutive race at the Belgian Grand Prix last month, further extending his lead in the Formula One World Championship. The Dutchman now leads his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by 125 points, with 10 races remaining in the season. Red Bull also has a commanding lead in the Constructors’ Championship, with 256 points more than second-placed Mercedes.
It’s difficult to overlook the reality that Max is virtually untouchable this season. With this in mind, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg has publicly urged Verstappen and Red Bull to protect themselves and their star driver against complacency.
Rosberg sounds alarm bells for Max Verstappen
Nico Rosberg, who won seven races in a row in 2015/16, is impressed by Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance in Formula One this season. However, he warns that the team needs to be careful not to become complacent, as this could damage their chances of winning the championship.
Rosberg says that when a team is winning so much, it can be easy to relax and take things for granted. This can lead to mistakes, which could cost the team points or even a race win. He believes that Verstappen and Red Bull need to stay focused and hungry if they want to complete an unbeaten season.
Nico, on a Skysports podcast, said: “He generally needs to be careful that he doesn’t get complacent.
“He’s in such an incredible flow where no one can touch him – and that’s usually when there’s a risk of getting complacent, and you lose a bit of motivation. So he just needs to be a bit careful of that.
The ex-F1 driver concluded by saying that he does not see Verstappen becoming complacent because of his phenomenal state of mind, his constant focus, and being “in the zone.” The only other driver on the grid who gives that “in the zone” vibe is the Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso. He also called out his ex-teammate Lewis Hamilton for having a more inconsistently dominant season compared to Max, whose driving is like “art.”
Red Bull makes history with its 13th consecutive victory
Verstappen started the race from 6th position due to a gearbox grid penalty but he made his way up the grid to take the win that weekend, comfortably beating his teammate Sergio Perez to the finish line. The Red Bull cars were in a class of their own on Sunday, and they were never challenged by the rest of the field. Dutchman’s victory put him on the top in the championship standings and helped him make a 125-point gap between him and his teammate.
But not only that. The Belgian GP was Max’s eighth consecutive victory, which is just one short of the all-time record, and it propelled Red Bull Racing to record their 13th consecutive win. This is a new record in Formula One history, surpassing McLaren’s record of 11 consecutive wins set by Alan Prost and Ayrton Senna in 1988.
We, as viewers, are witnessing this energy drink company rewrite the history of Formula 1 with a crazy Dutchman driving to glory. What do you think about Red Bull’s dominance? Let us know your thoughts on Rosberg’s warning to Max.
