Our writers on Verstappen’s mighty season, where he ranks amongst the greats – and who will challenge him in 2024
Max Verstappen made history in Qatar and put his name amongst some of the greats of F1 by winning his third drivers’ championship. But in such a dominant season, what has been his most impressive quality, and just where does he stand on the list of all-time greats
What has impressed you about Max the most this season?
Chris Medland, Special Contributor: His ability to adapt so quickly. He’s made no secret of the fact that street circuits were never his favourite or strongest venues, but it was when he lost out to Sergio Perez in Baku this year that he learned so much about how to get more out of the 2023 car compared to his team-mate. And he proved it out with the run that followed, clearly going up a level from that point onwards.
David Tremayne, Hall of Fame F1 Journalist: His calmness, consistency, and total focus, despite minimal interference from his team-mate after the first few races and not an awful lot of opposition from anyone else. Like the Red Bull RB19, he was just a relentless machine always seeking to go faster. Plus, the fact that he made so few real mistakes, and that when the potentially biggest one came going up Eau Rouge at Spa, he handled it so adroitly that if you blinked, you’d miss it.
