Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is enjoying the chance to enter the 2022 title battle as a fighter. The Dutchman is currently 19 points behind ranking leader Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen, 24, has so far won three Grand Prix and claimed victory in his first sprint of the year. Despite these performances, he still lags behind in the championship, thanks in part to his retirement in Bahrain and Australia. However, absolutely nothing was lost. Formula 1 is having its busiest times ever this year and it looks like the RB18 is getting better after a rough start.
Competitiveness
The Red Bull driver managed to beat Lewis Hamilton at the end of the season and win his first championship at the end of the season. When asked if he’d rather hunt or be hunted, Verstappen replied: “I’m happy with the situation I’m in now, because I know the car is fast. At the end of last year, of course, I was the one who was chasing. And it wasn’t a great situation actually , because I knew we didn’t have the speed anymore.” In the end, the most decisive factor is the performance of the car. “I knew it was going to be very difficult until the end. So yeah, it also depends a little bit on how competitive you are,” concludes Limberger.
The hole is slowly dwindling.
Ferrari’s Leclerc leads the championship for the first time in his career and is likely to fight with Verstappen for his first title of the season this year. Leclerc answered the same question as his opponent: “Well, I think we’ve only been in one position since the start of the season, which means we’re chasing now. I like that position to be honest. It means you’re doing something right.” However, he feels the smell of a spicy Dutchman on his neck. “But it’s also about that we have two races now, where the gap is slowly getting smaller. But yeah, I don’t really care what position I’m in, I just want to be the most competitive. At the moment, Red Bull seems to have the upper hand in the races.”
