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Max Verstappen is now a three-time world champion! Yes, the teenager who debuted in front of us for the first time in a Suzuka practice session in 2014 is now all grown up and has become a race-winning machine. In all fairness, Verstappen's third world title has arguably been a cruise compared to his first two.
The first title in 2021 was arguably one of the most competitive title battles F1 has ever had. The 2022 F1 season saw some adversity that Max Verstappen had to overcome early in the year but once that was done it all became a bit easy. The third title arguably has been the best for the Red Bull driver. He's dominated from start to finish and if it was not for the little stumble against Sergio Perez in Baku, there's hardly been any doubt around Verstappen's chances of a title triumph.
At this stage of his career, Max Verstappen is just 26 years of age. He's already won three world titles, in all likelihood he'll secure 50 wins before the end of the season, and to add to this, he's ticking off records one by one.
At this stage of his career where there's still such a long journey to go, is Max Verstappen already one of the Greatest drivers to ever race in F1? I think he is.
Note: In this feature, I am not claiming that Max Verstappen is the GOAT. I'm saying he has now booked a spot amongst some of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.
Max Verstappen is already one of the GOATs
When it comes to talking about some of the greatest talents to ever race in F1, there are a few characteristics and accomplishments that put them in that top bracket. When we mention some of the greatest drivers in the history of F1 we're talking about drivers like Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost, etc.
Some of the factors in which some if not all of these elites excelled were:
#1 Statistics
Talking about statistics, Max Verstappen is already amongst the top 5 race winners in F1, and by the end of the season, there is a possibility he will be top 5 in terms of pole positions as well. With three titles in the bag, there are only 5 drivers (Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost) that would have won more titles than him.
Even if we keep these aside, what has made Verstappen a class apart has been his achievements over a single season. As soon as he got a dominant car under him, he achieved the longest win streak in 10, and last season he broke the record for most wins for a driver in a season (a record he's all set to better this season). When it comes to relentless consistency and the ability to turn up every weekend and win, Max has been remarkable.
Even if we keep his records in a dominant car to one side, he is the youngest race winner in the history of F1, a feat he achieved in 2016. He proved himself first in a non title contending car and since he's got his hands on a competitive car there's been no stopping him. At every stage of his career, Verstappen has broken boundaries and a driver like that deserves a place amongst the greatest drivers in F1.
#2 Longevity
When we look at the fact that Max Verstappen is still only 26 years of age, it's astounding to even imagine that he debuted in 2015. This season is Verstappen's ninth season in the sport. If we compare it with the almost exceptional 20-year run of Fernando Alonso or the 15+ years of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton in the sport it pales in comparison.
However, the number seems a lot more comparable to the 13 years Alain Prost spent in F1. Sir Jackie Stewart was part of the sport for 9 years as well while Niki Lauda also had 13 years. Spending close to a decade in F1 is a great barometer and Verstappen is right there with the other greats.
#3 Success against contemporaries
Something that stands out for a Michael Schumacher, or an Alain Prost, or an Ayrton Senna is the fact that these legends have gone up against their contemporaries in competitive cars and beat them for the title.
Michael Schumacher beat Damon Hill in 1995 in a Benetton that was arguably slower than the Williams his rival had. Alain Prost beat both Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell in 1986 driving a McLaren that was slower than the rampaging Honda-powered Williams. Similarly, Ayrton Senna was able to hold off the advances of Nigel Mansell in 1991 and beat Alain Prost in the same car in 1988 to win the titles.
Max Verstappen did the same in 2021 as well in his battle with Lewis Hamilton. Yes, there is the Michael Masi controversy but the Red Bull driver had more than proven himself to be the better driver that season. In a championship battle in a similarly paced car, Verstappen more than proved himself to be a driver capable of beating Lewis, arguably the benchmark at the time in F1.
#4 Supremacy in wet weather
Wet weather and some of the greatest talents in F1. When we talk about excellence in the wet, we talk about Ayrton Senna's mesmerizing drives in the McLaren and even the Toleman. We talk about Michael Schumacher destroying the entire field multiple times in the 1990s with his wet weather prowess. We talk about Lewis Hamilton's brilliance in Silverstone in 2008, we talk about Sebastian Vettel in Monza in 2008 and in the same breath, we talk about Max.
Even though Verstappen was already a race winner by then, his drive in the extreme wet conditions in Brazil in 2016 was him announcing to the world that someone special had made his way to F1.
Since then, whenever there is rain one can almost expect one driver to rise above everyone else. What makes everything even special is that Max Verstappen was proving himself in the wet weather even before he got a dominant car under him, It is such drives and performances that have truly helped propel him to the table where the elitest of the elites sit.
#5 Building a team around themselves
Micheal Schumacher did this at Ferrari, Alain Prost did it at McLaren, Lewis Hamilton was able to accomplish it at Mercedes, and the same has held true for Max Verstappen at Red Bull. He joined the team in 2016. He settled in for two years from 2016 and 2017 only to take over in 2018.
From 2019 onwards, Max Verstappen forged a close bond between himself, Red Bull, and Honda, and the entire team was built around him. Of course, part of the credit will go to the team as well but the driver stuck with the team for five years before winning the title. Something that does not happen often.
A world champion driver builds the team around himself and the team morphs itself around him. Max Verstappen got that at Red Bull and the results are there for everyone to see.
Conclusion
We started this article with the claim that Max Verstappen has now earned himself a seat amongst the GOATs of F1. A driver that fulfills each criterion varying from longevity, statistics, building a team around themselves, and supremacy against contemporaries amongst others deserves a seat amongst the best to have ever done this.
Max Verstappen has earned the right to be considered among the greatest drivers ever to have raced in F1 and there can be no dispute about this.
