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Former Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber has hailed Max Verstappen for the way he adjusted to the rigors of F1.
Webber drove with the Milton Keynes-based squad for seven seasons. He was a part of four constructors' world championships alongside Sebastian Vettel.
Speaking to Channel 4, Webber lauded Max Verstappen for how well he's taken to the pinnacle of motorsport, saying:
“The maturity he’s showed for his age when he came into the sport, he has biblical levels of confidence and feel, at the highest level. These cars are not easy to get on top of early.”
The Dutchman has enjoyed a meteoric rise in F1 after moving up straight from Formula 3 - a rarity in the modern era. The last driver to make a jump that big, and that soon, was Kimi Raikkonen, who went straight from the Formula Renault UK series to the Sauber F1 team in 2001.
In 2014, Max Verstappen became the youngest driver in F1 history to participate in a grand prix weekend at Suzuka. He earned a full-time seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) in 2015.
The Dutchman replaced Daniil Kyvat four races into the 2016 season, moving to join Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull. Max Verstappen then won his first race with them in Barcelona, becoming F1's youngest-ever race winner.
From there, Verstappen went from strength-to-strength and rallied the Red Bull team around him, to the extent that his teammates have often found it difficult to measure up.
Daniel Ricciardo chose to leave. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon buckled under the pressure. Verstappen has an amicable relationship with his current teammate Sergio Perez but the latter's contract only lasts until the end of 2022.
At 24, Max Verstappen has achieved a lifelong ambition of being a world champion. No one would be surprised if he adds to his impressive tally of accolades, least of all Mark Webber.
2021 championship battle "not good for my heart," says Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen showed immense resilience to win the 2021 World Drivers' Championship (WDC) on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, the Dutchman has confessed that he hopes he never has to go through that again.
Speaking to former F1 driver-turned-TV presenter David Coulthard, he said:
"It's amazing how everything turned out, but if I had to do it again, I am not sure if I would choose for that. It is also not good for my heart."
Max Verstappen became the 34th different driver — and the first Dutchman — to win the F1 WDC.
