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Ahead of the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP, Max Verstappen is one of the favorites to win the race and extend his supreme reign this season. The Dutch driver seems unstoppable in any race that comes his way until there is a major shake-up.
In a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, F1 driver-turned-commentator Jolyon Palmer spoke about Max Verstappen's domination this season. He claimed that the upcoming race needs to be quite chaotic to give someone else a chance to win, exemplifying how powerful the Red Bull driver has been this season. He said:
"I think you need a bit of a scrappy one because otherwise you're looking at, probably, a Max win because the Red Bull car and certainly with the long straight will be very quick."
Palmer also mentioned how quick the Red Bull car is in a straight line, which will greatly help its drivers get the most out of the upcoming race. Even though Mercedes are gradually coming up the ranks and might give Red Bull a fight, it will be a difficult one against Max Verstappen.
In the 2022 F1 Mexican GP, the Dutch driver broke the record for most wins in a single season. If he wins in Brazil, he will further extend the record to 15 race wins in a season. In doing so, he has already put himself beyond the greats like Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, who have both won 13 races in a season.
F1 pundit points out the dip in surprise podiums in 2022, proving Max Verstappen's domination
When something goes haywire and the top teams struggle to keep their drivers at the top, the midfield drivers get a golden chance to clinch a podium position. Fans absolutely love these kinds of podiums as new drivers get to live their dreams.
On the same episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Jolyon Palmer also spoke about the difference in surprise podiums from last year. He mentions several surprise podiums in 2021 where drivers like Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Pierre Gasly stood on the podium. The only outlier this year, however, was Lando Norris' podium at Imola, with the rest being captured by the usual front-runners.
Palmer said:
"The only surprise podium we've had this year is [Lando] Norris in Imola. Last year we had [Esteban] Ocon winning, [Fernando] Alonso hit the podium, you had [Sebastian] Vettel and [Pierre] Gasly on the podium, [Daniel] Ricciardo won a race. Blimey, it was all happening last year. This year, you've [only] had Lando Norris creep onto a third place in Imola, which was another Sprint weekend."
This also shows how dominant Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team have been this season. In almost every race, they have had at least one spot on the podium. Additionally, Ferrari and now Mercedes have also been strong front-running teams, but have been unable to challenge the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
