Credits: IMAGO Marco Canoniero
As is the tradition, the national anthems of the winning driver and team are played during the podium ceremony. Lately, the Dutch and the Austrian anthem have become the usual podium tunes. That is because of the dominant partnership between Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The Dutchman, however, is not getting sick of hearing the same anthems over and over again week after week.
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Verstappen recently joined Daniel Ricciardo for an interview with The Project. When the interviewer jokingly asked him if he was sick of hearing the Dutch anthem, Verstappen gave an equally hilarious reply. He said, “I’ve heard the British and the German one way too much. So, I’m very happy to hear the Dutch one.”
Verstappen was perhaps referring to the years in which Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton dominated. The German won four consecutive championships between 2010 and 2013. The Briton then followed it up with six years of dominance spread over eight years between 2014 and 2021.
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However, neither of those eras matches the fashion with which Max Verstappen has stamped his authority on F1. Just last year, Red Bull won 21 of 22 races, of which the reigning champion won 19 of them.
That run has carried over to the 2024 season as Verstappen maintains a perfect result of two wins out of the same number of races so far. Despite that, the Dutchman has maintained a defensive tone when it comes to his era.
Is Max Verstappen guilty of making F1 boring?
The 2021 world championship remains one of the most controversial seasons in the modern F1 era. Regardless of the outcome, the championship was a thrilling one to follow. The result went right down to the wire with the last lap of the final race deciding the champion.
Despite that, Max Verstappen rates his 2023 title higher than the one he won in 2021. L’equipe recently quoted him as saying, “I know you’re not going to agree with me. But in my eyes, last year is the best.”
The French media outlet then also shared Verstappen’s views on F1 becoming boring as a result of Red Bull’s dominance. The Dutchman continued, “This must undoubtedly seem boring to some, but I don’t care. I’m here to judge my performance and that of the team. And 2023 was the best season of all time. 2021 doesn’t even come close.”
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The 2023 triumph marked the third championship win for Max Verstappen. In most possibilities, 2024 should add another feather to the Dutchman’s cap. The RB20 is currently miles ahead of the competition and it would be too late until rivals begin to catch up to it.
Affairs away from the track have let Verstappen down, though. The ongoing Christian Horner controversy has engulfed Helmut Marko.
As the Austrian ponders over his future with the team, Verstappen could follow in the 80-year-old’s footsteps. In the event that both decide to leave Red Bull in 2025, the move could mark the end of one of F1’s most dominant periods.
