Overconfident Max Verstappen Had to Be Grounded by Sheer Humiliation in Order to Become the Driver He Is Today

For the older fans of F1, the journey of Max Verstappen from his initial days in the sport to becoming its world champion is one that screams motivation, dedication, and hard work. The three-time world champion’s F1 career did not get off to a flying start, especially given his crash in his debut race in 2015.

For the next three years, Verstappen continued adopting an extremely aggressive approach, which left little room for error. Per Mark Hughes’ Biography of Verstappen titled ‘Unstoppable: The Ultimate Biography of Three-Time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen,’ the Dutchman resisted changing his approach to racing, but a heartbreaking crash in the 2018 Monaco GP compelled him to rethink his driving style.

 

Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner were at the helm of things while trying to make the young driver understand the importance of keeping a cool head while racing and waiting for an overtaking opportunity to present itself. Following a crash in the practice session of the 2018 Monaco GP, Verstappen could not compete in the feature race owing to a crack in the gearbox. A culmination of all these incidents led to the Dutchman changing his approach for good.

Ever since the incident, Verstappen committed himself to learning from his mistakes and fine tuning his every move. The Dutchman spent years trying to find the right balance between where to push himself to the limit and where to hold himself back. As such, the 2018 Monaco GP incident stands as the moment that set Verstappen on a path to utter domination and helped him achieve his goal of becoming a Formula One world champion.

And then Max Verstappen won the Monaco GP

Three years after the fateful crash, Verstappen returned to Monaco in a much more mature avatar. Fending off all early challenges, the Dutchman not only took his first podium in Monaco but he also registered his first-ever race win at the famous circuit, defeating second-placed Carlos Sainz with a margin of over nine seconds. The win also meant Verstappen would take the lead in the championship standings for the first time in his life, giving him a taste of what it was like to be at the top of the mound. “It is so special to win around here. And also the first time on the podium here. It was an amazing race.” He added, “To also take the lead in the championship is a nice bonus.”

 

The 2021 Monaco GP marked one of Verstappen’s best races, owing to the composure put on display by the Dutchman. A measured approach towards tire management and well-planned and executed pit stops led to him easily winning the race. With the race over, Verstappen was over the moon with his performance, overcoming his biggest weakness and doing away with the ghost that haunted him for nearly three years.

Post Edited By: Naman Gopal Srivastava
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing

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Naman Gopal Srivastava

Naman is an F1 writer at The SportsRush. Initially a football fanatic who worships Puyol and Leo Messi, Naman soon fell in love with the world of F1 upon reading about Jim Clarke. While the current era drivers do fascinate him, Naman still chooses to idolize Clarke and Ayrton Senna. When he is not busy watching the highlights of some of the greatest races of his idols, Naman can be found scribbling little snippets in his diary of poems or out in the town, exploring new places to eat.

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