Max Verstappen is the most in-form driver in F1 at the moment. With three back-to-back world titles, the Dutchman has reigned supreme from 2021 onwards. With Verstappen already establishing himself as a legend of F1, Alain Prost believes (as reported by GP Blog) that the man behind his meteoric rise is Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen has completely dominated the F1 F1 grid as the Red Bull driver, winning the most number of races in the last three years. With 15 race wins in 2022, he already has 14 in 2023 and there are still five races to go.
Lewis Hamilton on the other hand, has fallen massively, mainly due to Mercedes’ lack of performance. Hamilton last won a race in 2021 when he won the Saudi Arabian GP. From there on, Hamilton entered a slump- one he hasn’t recovered from since.
Prost believes Lewis Hamilton made Verstappen stronger
As Hamilton and Verstappen had a massive head-to-head battle in 2021, former F1 champion Alain Prost believes that the lessons that year helped the Dutchman develop into a beast.
He added that his first championship-winning season made him stronger. That made him the dominant driver he is today. Talking about this, he said as per GP Blog, “That first title has made him stronger. Since then he has calmed down, except in his pursuit of perfection.”
Verstappen’s personal development has been a bright side for Red Bull and its fans. However, the mood is completely different among his rivals, teams other than Red Bull and its fans. This is because, with this form, Verstappen is likely to dominate until the new regulation changes take place, in 2025.
Prost full of appraisal for Max Verstappen and his statistics
Apart from praising Max Verstappen for his never-ending dominance, Alain Prost also focused on the incredible numbers Verstappen is putting up.
Admittedly, the 2023 F1 season saw Verstappen break many records. He started the season by breaking Ayrton Senna’s all-time win records and most recently he smashed Sebastian Vettel’s long-standing record of most consecutive wins that he set in 2013.
As things stand, the man from the Netherlands is just two wins away from breaking his own record of claiming the most number of wins in a single season. Furthermore, he is also five wins away from being the third-highest race-winning driver in the history of F1.
