Max Verstappen continues to dominate in the F1 2023 season as he grabbed yet another pole position on Saturday during a tricky wet qualifying in Montreal. While the Dutchman makes things look easy on track, his level of commitment off the track often goes unnoticed.
A day before he grabbed his fifth pole position of the season, Verstappen showed immense dedication by working with his mechanics to optimize the car. Many believe that seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was the last driver to show such commitment during his Ferrari days.
Schumacher was famous for helping his engineers work on the car, especially when they were not winning. It was this level of sheer dedication that helped the legendary German driver win five consecutive world championships with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. And it seems that Verstappen is now following a similar path.
Verstappen’s insane commitment helps him grab Canadian GP pole
According to Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf, Max Verstappen and his engineers stayed until the curfew to discuss how they could improve the car. With the Red Bull driver showing such incredible commitment, some fans compared him to the legendary Michael Schumacher.
Some fans hailed Verstappen for his “champion attitude,” stating that Schumacher also showed a similar level of commitment “back in the day“.
Schumacher was the same back in the day 💪 champion attitude
— SC (@SeanCra68571185) June 18, 2023
Meanwhile, some other fans such as Korhan compared Verstappen’s dominance in the wet to that of Schumacher and three-time champion Ayrton Senna.
MUHTEŞEM RAINMASTER
2016 yılındaki Brezilya yarışında, mükemmel yağmur becerisini gösteren genç Verstappen, dünkü yoğun yağmur koşullarında da farkını ortaya koyarak PP elde etti.
🇳🇱Max Verstappen, tıpkı Senna ve Schumacher gibi yağmurda adeta devleşiyor. pic.twitter.com/TXdy8yLXaq
— Korhan Durukan #F1 (@korhan_durukan) June 18, 2023
Max Verstappen dedicates his Canadian GP pole to Jos
After explaining the hard work Max Verstappen put in, Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf also added that the Dutchman’s pole position in Canada was a “beautiful ode” to his father, Jos Verstappen. And as it so happened, Max also expressed his gratefulness to his father in helping him understand how to maximize his performance during the wet.
When asked about the secret to his dominance in the wet, the 25-year-old replied (as quoted by fia.com), “It’s something you have been learning since a little kid. I remember back in the go-karting days my Dad was literally standing on the track telling me where to drive in the wet because I think he, back in the day, was also quite decent in the wet“.
Can anyone challenge Verstappen during the main race?
After grabbing an outstanding pole position on Saturday, Max Verstappen will be looking to grab his fourth consecutive win of the 2023 season. The Dutchman arrives into this weekend on the back of wins in Miami, Monaco and Spain.
Considering the recent dominance of the 25-year-old, it will be interesting to see if anyone can stop him from winning a fourth consecutive race. The best positioned to do so is Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who will start alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row.
Alonso himself has been in fine form as he has registered five fantastic podiums after the first seven races of the 2023 season. Another driver who has the potential to beat Verstappen is seven-time Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton, who has the joint-most wins in Canada (7) alongside Michael Schumacher, will hope to get a good start from third place on the grid. And with Mercedes showcasing remarkable improvement in Spain two weeks ago with a double podium, the 38-year-old is definitely another driver that could take the fight to Verstappen.
