'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Max Verstappen won the 2022 F1 Japanese GP last weekend to clinch his second World Drivers' Championship title. According to former F1 driver Michael Bleekemolen, the car was an integral part of his championship run but not the deciding factor. Bleekemolen said that Verstappen could have won the championship in a Ferrari. In an interview with GPFans, the former F1 driver said:
"I remember people all saying he wasn't going to be world champion when we were three races away. You see it. With so many Grands Prix, that's always possible. He made it by not making mistakes."
Bleekemolen continued:
"We hardly ever see him make a mistake again. I don't even want to say he had the fastest car, but he had a good car. I think if Max had been in the Ferrari, he would have been world champion."
Bleekemolen explained how Verstappen was counted out at the beginning of the year. Verstappen had a terrible start to the season after only finishing one race out of three and crashing out of the other two. Ferrari were projected to win the title but a massive improvement on the Dutchman's part and the Italian team's mistakes led to Max winning his second world title.
Bleekemolen also emphasized how Max Verstappen influenced his team to work more seriously and handled the pressure better. The former driver said:
"That is of course an accumulation of things, but Max puts such a team to his hand. People are going to work well for him, people are becoming more alert. Of course, that has also happened with Schumacher in the past. Max could have just achieved that there."
Max Verstappen more consistent than Charles Leclerc throughout the season
Charles Leclerc arguably had a better car all season but Ferrari ran into strategic problems. The team made multiple strategic blunders like putting on the wrong tires, double stacking when the pit crew wasn't ready, and releasing cars into traffic after a pitstop. All these errors resulted in the Scuderia losing valuable points and losing out on the championship.
A very important part of Max Verstappen winning the championship was his consistency. The Dutch driver managed to score wins and podiums even when he started low on the grid.
Max Verstappen is also on course to break the record for most wins in a single season. The record is currently held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher, both having a maximum of 13 wins in a single season. Verstappen has 12 wins so far, two shy of breaking the record, and with 4 races to go, the possibility is very high.
