The Age Of Max....

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, F1, AGP, Albert Park.

    What we just witnessed throughout the 2022 Formula One season surely must rank in the top echelons of what the definition of utter dominance is when referencing what Red Bull and now two time champion Max Verstappen achieved. Red Bull won 17 of the 22 races with 15 going to Max Verstappen and 2 to Sergio Perez. We rank Max as a once in a generation driver. His speed has never been in question, but now his race craft and maturity are rapidly scaling stratospheric levels.
    There were other highlights of course, with Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz winning their maiden GP's. The thing that we've had trouble wrapping our brains around is how certain F1 pundits never seem to give Max and Red Bull credit. All season we heard how Ferrari were going to fight back and Mercedes weren't going to be down for long. It wasn't until it finally became mathematically impossible for Max and Red Bull to be beaten, that said pundits finally conceded. We understand that they have to talk it up, but seriously! Credit where it's due. They've won more races in one season than anyone else since F1's 1950 inception. Ferrari, whether it be strategic, operational, communication or drivers' errors, despite producing an excellent car, give the impression of implosion, and it's not the first time. Mercedes' aerodynamic woes were well documented, leaving them to play catch up. However by season's end, it's perceived that they've finally started to constrain their performance gremlins, which certainly bodes well for next season. Red Bull on the other hand, under the astute leadership of Christian Horner, virtually never miss a beat and the amount of mistakes they make over a season, you could probably count on two fingers. 
    Red Bull with still probably the best design team in F1 overseen by Adrian Newey, rarely produce a "sub optimal" car, to use a Ron Dennisism. They've locked down arguably the most complete, fastest and exciting driver in Max Verstappen until 2028. Now Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the fold as third driver adding depth. All the ingredients are in place for Red Bull to continue to be the team that the other teams aspire to be. Are we on the verge of another period of Red Bull dominance? Are we now embarking on the age of Max?    

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