Max Verstappen said that the 2022 F1 machine “RB18″ was not the fastest machine in the early stages, and after being forced to retire twice early, while catching up to win the F1 title ” No mistakes are allowed,” he said.
Max Verstappen will win his second F1 world title in 2022, setting a new record of 15 wins and 454 points for the season. He swept Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc by 146 points.
Winning the title with four races to go showed Max Verstappen’s dominance this season, but he feared his title chances were in doubt at the Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola.
This was after he was forced to retire due to fuel pump problems in both Bahrain and Australia, where he was 46 points behind Charles Leclerc (nearly two wins).
Asked if he could identify one area where he has really stepped up this year, Tamax Verstappen pointed out the importance of scoring points in every race and could not make a mistake after an early retirement. I looked back on what I felt.
“We know that when we have to fight for the title, we basically need to score as many points as possible in every race,” Verstappen said.
“That’s why it was so hard to get that DNF at the beginning of the year. From that point on, I knew I couldn’t allow mistakes on my part in case I had to retire for whatever reason. ”
“Every weekend, I try to be as clear as possible. That’s what I asked myself every time I jumped in the car.”
Max Verstappen’s style of winning the 2022 F1 title was in stark contrast to his first F1 title win in 2021, which saw a year-long battle with Lewis Hamilton culminating in the final lap of the final race.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are out of contention for the championship this year, with Max Verstappen’s main challenges coming from Charles Leclerc and Ferrari throughout the first half of the season.
However, after the summer break, Red Bull successfully developed the RB18 and Max Verstappen was able to win nine of the last 11 races.
Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen has “taken a new step as a driver” until 2022, following a “heavyweight bout” with Lewis Hamilton last year. .
“He’s been very mature this year, he’s run with composure and he’s had some big wins under a lot of pressure,” said Christian Horner.
“That’s something you only know when you look back at the season. Looking back at some races like Saudi Arabia, Miami, Montreal, there were some moments there.”
“It wasn’t the fastest car at the beginning of the year. He kept us in the fight, kept pushing and drove with incredible precision and pace.”
“When the opportunity presented itself, he grabbed it with both hands.”
