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Two-time world champion Max Verstappen captured the attention of F1 fans when he first took to the track in 2015. Since then, he has gone toe-to-toe with the best in the world and has come out on top most times.
He dominated the 2022 season after his first triumph in a titanic battle against Lewis Hamilton in 2021. The Red Bull driver faced an early title challenge from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc but ran away with the title after the mid-season break.
Verstappen's ascent to capturing his second world championship has been masterfully captured by ViaPlay in their documentary "Max Verstappen: Anatomy of a Champion".
It's a three-part docuseries about the 2022 season of the Dutch driver. That was released on the platform on April 2, after Verstappen's second win of the season in Melbourne.
"Lewis Hamilton could have damaged Max Verstappen's career" - George Russell
Mercedes driver George Russell has said that Max Verstappen was lucky that he was not teammates with Lewis Hamilton in the early phase of his career.
While speaking to SquareMile, Russell compared his ascent to the top with Verstappen:
"I think that’s something you would never know. It’s something I tell myself because I like to be glass half full, and I want to take the positive out of every situation. But I could sit here and say I lost three years of my career because I was in a car that was right at the back of a grid and I couldn’t fight for wins. Or you can see all the positives from my time there. Some drivers have been thrown in at the deep end early, and it’s hurt their careers."
He continued:
"For example, Max Verstappen obviously got his promotion after 18 months, but perhaps if he went into a team like Mercedes against Lewis Hamilton at the peak of his powers, it could have damaged his career.
"So you’ve got to look at it from both sides and for sure Max was a greater driver after three or four years under his belt compared to where he was after 18 months under his belt. If you’re going up against a guy who’s absolutely in his prime and dominating in the car that he’s so used to, maybe he (Verstappen) wouldn’t be in the position he is today.
It would have been fascinating to see Max Verstappen go up against Hamilton early on his career.
