The residuals from a thoroughly yawn-making Brazil Grand Prix, the scene of an unchallenged walkover by Nico Rosberg, left little to be excited about beyond the emergent rookie Alex Verstappen.
There are few, if any, allowances made by his rivals for the 18-year-old’s tender years and tentative Formula One apprenticeship nor does he seek any.
Far from it. There is only widespread respect from the front to the rear end of the grid where watchful eyes of threatened, far more experienced, competitors in faster cars maintain a wary eye on their rear-view mirrors for concern about his fast developing daredevil approach.
And rightly so. The youngest-ever Formula One driver, given a test run at 17, a brilliant product of the Red Bull junior academy, has in a remarkably short time earned universal admiration for his outright skill at 200-plus mph in the most scary wheel-to-wheel confrontations in his Torro Rosso.
He was at it again in Interlagos with yet another spectacular overtaking manoeuvre on one of the riskiest corners with barely millimetres to spare on a surprised Sergio Perez’s Force India car that was on the safer line.
Sure, he has made mistakes, as do most first-timers in whatever competitive element they are involved, and he has had terrifying incidents, too, like his massive crash in Monaco in only his sixth race but a run of top ten finishes has given him elevated status.
In the honest spirit of a born racer none of the setbacks, nor his meaningful struggles to surge clear of the also-rans and midfielders, have put the slightest brake on his drive for Grand Prix glory.
That is evidenced by his two fourth placings and his championship wind down, 12th place in the title chase, as the curtain drops on the high-speed drama in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale.
Among those cast deep in his roaraway shadow are F1’s two most experienced drivers Fernando Alonso, twice the Grand Prix king, and his McLaren partner, 2009 world champion Jenson Button.
I know for sure that behind the scenes, right along the paddock’s wealthier teams, tentative moves are afoot to lure the gifted Dutchman into their envious clutches as a golden, sure-fire investment of sheer talent for the future.
One of his guiding lights is Red Bull’s ever-so grateful Christian Horner, who warns the covetous teams: “Hands off! He is ours for the next few years. And that is the way both sides want it to be.”
He adds: “I am not going to divulge the details or specifics of our agreement with Max other than to say it is a multiple-year deal.”
The dictates of basic ability in such a risky occupation do not gleam quite so often and as brightly as they have done with Verstappen in his debut F1 season, after winning just about every prize available as a kid karter and European and World champion, and single seater racer in the junior classes in his first steps up the race ladder.
Max Emilian Verstappen, the son of ex-F1 racer Jos Verstappen, a veteran of 107 GPs with a 10th championship place in 1994, and mother Sophie, a quick and successful kart-driver, earns $512,000 (Dh1.88 million) — not bad for a teenage newcomer — but his gift as a Grand Prix driver will eventually bracket him alongside the likes of Alonso on $35 million.
Meanwhile, he says: “I think I am in the perfect environment here at Torro Rosso. It is more of a junior team than Red Bull so they are really there to prepare young drivers like me. And that’s what I am enjoying in my learning curve.”
Doting father Jos, an ever-present at Max’s side this season, says: “Formula One and racing is all normal to him. He has been doing it since he was four years old driving a kart and at six years of age he was beating much older boys.”
Max says with typically understated modesty: “It maybe hard for another guy of my age to understand it but for me there is only one thing — and that is racing.It is the focus of my whole life.”
As if we hadn’t noticed.....
— The author is an expert on motorsport
