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Max Verstappen was dominant in the 2022 season, and the records speak for themselves. His technically proficient driving resulted in 15 wins out of the 22-race season. It is undoubtedly a sign that the Red Bull driver did not make too many mistakes. But not everything was rosy. Seven times he lost out on a win, Verstappen was deeply frustrated with how the day ended.
These were moments when Max Verstappen was uncharacteristically poor at dealing with the car and track. The zest to get back to the pole sometimes meant he pushed too hard and crashed. The following section dives into three moments when the elite driver lost focus and ended the race poorly.
Max Verstappen would likely want to forget about these races
1) Brazilian GP
This was not a good weekend for Verstappen as the Red Bull car was arguably lacking in multiple areas compared to Mercedes. George Russell overtook the Dutch driver to win the sprint race on Saturday. Going into Sunday, there wasn't much optimism surrounding the team's win.
Max Verstappen held the pole position at the start of the race, but things changed quickly. During the safety car reset, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton started pushing each other on turn one. While side-by-side, the drivers collided, and their cars picked up damage. While Hamilton continued the race unimpeded, Verstappen had to pit and change his wing. This cost him precious spots as other drivers overtook him.
Verstappen was also given a 5-second penalty as stewards concluded that he caused the collision. Consequently, Verstappen fell down the order and was forced to claw back every position. While the progress was impressive, he was out of podium contention.
Mercedes finished in the top 2, with Russell marking his only pole finish of the season. Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished sixth and seventh. The Red Bull driver remained defiant in his post-race comments and maintained innocence in the collision. This is likely a day Verstappen would like to forget.
2) F1 Singapore GP
There was every possibility that Max Verstappen would dominate the weekend in Singapore. The driver showed exceptional speed in all conditions but was disappointed to learn that his car had been accidentally under-fueled. This exposed him, and he fell down the order.
On a track like Singapore, overtaking comes at a price. Verstappen was ready to pay that price, but the Red Bull driver could not make his way up the order safely. On the eve of the safety car reset, Verstappen had stick tires and was in the top six. But steady progress went out the window in the first lap after the restart. Max Verstappen lined up with Lando Norris but overshot the breaking point and damaged his tires.
In a race where he could have secured a podium, Verstappen was at the back of the grid, desperately trying to crawl up the order. While he managed to grab a few points with a seventh-place finish, this was a disappointing drive and a letdown by Red Bull from all ends.
3) F1 Monaco GP
It speaks volumes about how the driver's season unraveled when a podium finish was one of the worst performances. The first leg of the 2022 F1 season saw Verstappen not entirely comfortable with the car's characteristics. While he pushed the car to its limits in races, qualifying was a challenge for the most part. Monaco was never going to be easy for Max Verstappen. To make matters worse, the track was wet, adding an additional challenge.
Meanwhile, Perez looked comfortable in his car and had already secured a pole in Saudi Arabia. While Verstappen's ability to reel things back in the race has helped him out on other tracks, this was impossible in Monaco.
With the now dubious Sergio Perez crash late in qualifying limiting Max Verstappen to P4 on the starting grid, the race was always going to be an uphill task. While Red Bull's slick tire strategy gave Verstappen a chance to finish ahead of Charles Leclerc, the weekend was about Sergio Perez as he won the race and secured a contract extension.
