Max-Verstappen-For-2018-Dailycarblog
Why Max Verstappen Is The Man To Watch In 2018
Formula One
Formula 1 racing has experienced a relative lack of drama in the last few years because of the total dominance by Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. There’s always a little bit of drama between drivers (or between drivers and their own teams), and any individual race can develop into a drama. That, after all, is why we keep watching. But Lewis Hamilton has had such a firm grip on the sport, particularly with Sebastian Vettel adjusting to Ferrari these past couple of seasons, that the final outcome has seemed all but decided. Hamilton has already secured the 2017 driver’s championship and will again be a strong favorite entering 2018. But we may be in for a little bit uncertainty this time around. In part that’s because Vettel seems to be getting more and more comfortable with Ferrari, and figures to be determined to have one more winning season. But it’s also thanks to the fact that Belgian prodigy Max Verstappen appears to be emerging as the next big start in F1. Here are a just a few reasons he’s the man to watch next season. He’s Committed To His Team If there’s one thing that’s consistently clear about the top drivers and cars in F1, it’s that continuity can make a difference. We’ve seen this fairly recently with Vettel’s transition from Red Bull to Ferrari. No one can say what would have happened if he’d stayed put (and it’s not as if Red Bull has had much success without him). But Vettel has needed time to get used to his new cars and team, and it may well have cost him a more sustained run of dominance. At least in the near future, however, we know that Max Verstappen won’t deal with this problem. Just recently, he signed a new Red Bull contract to get out ahead of rumors that he’d be snatched up by Mercedes or Ferrari. This allows a very accomplished manufacturers’ team to go to work setting him up for success. He Already Had A Legitimate Hot Streak Verstappen’s potential has been known for a while now, but recently the results have started to speak for themselves. Heading into the Brazilian GP, Verstappen had won two of the last four races – the Malaysian GP and the Mexican GP. Furthermore, at the Japanese GP, he finished just 1.21 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton (who took the top spot on the podium). That constitutes a very legitimate hot streak at the highest level, and it makes Verstappen look like more than a future champion. He’s a very real podium threat in 2018 and beyond. He’s (Boldly) Focused On Hamilton This is more for the fans than anything else, but it’s still worth mentioning. If you do a few internet searches about Verstappen and Hamilton, you’ll find more than a few indications that they’re somewhat focused on one another. Verstappen has done all but paint a target on the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes, and Hamilton appears to be fully aware that the youngster is coming for him. Boldly, and somewhat impressively, Verstappen is attempting to bypass Vettel altogether and establish a rivalry with the current king of F1. He’s Having A Blast Finally, it’s hard not to notice that Verstappen is having a lot of fun, and that’s something some of the most accomplished athletes talk about as being a key to success, even at the highest levels. He always seems to be smiling, he’s always looking forward to the next race or the next season, he trusts his team, and he was recently turned loose in a new Aston Martin. This is a young man who’s enjoying the modern Formula 1 lifestyle, and that should only enhance his passion for improvement and achievement.  Max-Verstappen-For-2018-Dailycarblog
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