Things haven’t always gone Verstappen’s way this year. “But we know throughout the season we have to keep on developing.” Saudi Arabia: An early setback against Pérez “It’s a good start,” Verstappen said after his victory. The performance had George Russell talking up a perfect season for Red Bull, a prediction that would prove correct right up to race 15.īahrain also proved to Verstappen he had a car that could take him a long way this year, even if he was eager to manage expectations at the time. It made Verstappen’s dominant victory in Bahrain, finishing 11 seconds clear of Sergio Pérez and 38 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso in third, a warning shot. There is always an uncertainty before the first race, when there’s no longer any advantage to sandbagging or hiding pace. While Ferrari and Mercedes were fighting their own fires, Red Bull was skipping into the distance. Verstappen’s performance through preseason testing bred confidence internally. It made the car nicer to drive and more predictable. While Red Bull took steps through last season, the introduction of the RB19 was where the weight cut really stepped up a notch. Most of the teams struggled to get close to the weight limit with the revised technical regulations, making it a challenge to shave off a couple of kilos where possible in order to make the car more agile and responsive - characteristics that Verstappen in particular thrives off. Verstappen was particularly vocal about the weight of Red Bull’s 2022 car, the RB18. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images) Bahrain: The warning shot Pre-season testing and the GP in Bahrain showed Verstappen his car could take him a long way. Here’s what has stood out in an historic year. Without his struggles in Azerbaijan, composure in Monaco, or total domination of the Austria weekend, Verstappen’s year could have looked different. Races that could so easily have swung another way shaped Verstappen’s march to the championship. Yet even through a year where Verstappen’s wins felt like they blurred together at points, the season has not been without its defining moments. His championship victory has been one built on domination, including a record-breaking 10 consecutive victories from Miami to Monza, that has left his rivals incapable of answering back. That step forward from Red Bull helped elevate Verstappen to another level in 2023. Follow live coverage of today’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. For a driver with such an innate feeling of how the car connects to the road, he knew what had to be done to unlock even more performance. Even through his sweep to his second drivers’ championship in 2022 with a record 15 wins, Verstappen was always pushing to make improvements.
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