The day after each Grand Prix, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations about the past race weekend in an exclusive column. Who or what caught his attention, what went well, and what needs to change? This time: why Max Verstappen has struck the decisive blow, why it’s not just luck, and how Verstappen’s skills in the rain are on par with a legend like Ayrton Senna.
Let me cut to the chase: the title fight between Verstappen and Norris is now over. And yes: theoretically, Norris could still become champion. But after this performance, with a difference of 62 points now? Verstappen is never going to give that away.
And who would have thought that on Sunday, just before the race? With Norris on pole and Max starting at the back, it seemed like the gap would get smaller. But you see: rain and Max Verstappen, it’s an incredibly good combination. We saw it in 2016, also in Brazil, when he went from 16th to 3rd.
Practice, Practice, Practice
I think of Ayrton Senna, how good he was in the rain. Everyone knows how he dominated the rest of the field in the rain in Donington in 1993, for example, how he was of great class. You can’t possibly compare Verstappen with him, as in: these are different times, different cars.
So who of the two is the best in the rain? I don’t think you can give an answer to that. But what I dare to say: Max is at least on par with Senna when it comes to driving in the rain.
Both are phenomena in their own right – even in dry weather, of course. But from a young age, they both learned a lot about driving on a wet track in the rain. Senna, as a young boy in karts, always struggled in the rain. He would practice, practice, practice. Until he got better and better at it, turning it into an additional skill.
Max Verstappen, of course, has always tried to figure out with Jos in the rain how he could become even better than the rest, where you can make a difference. From time to time, you see that specific skill in the rain races in Formula 1, with him again on Sunday. Just like in 2016.
But now also with the pressure of a title fight on your shoulders, with a Norris who kept chipping away at the lead. With a provoked, eager attitude. And all of this comes together in what he subsequently shows in the race in Brazil.
Unbelievable
Unbelievable. So good. I heard Norris say afterwards that Verstappen was lucky with the decision to stay out. But that was not luck: if you heard the conversations on the radio, not just what is broadcast on TV, it was clear how relaxed Verstappen and his engineer discussed what to do. They made a decision that was thought through.
And yes, you never have guarantees. But Verstappen has the ability at such moments to make exactly that choice where you have the most chance of doing the right thing.
That too characterizes a champion. One who, in my opinion, has struck the decisive blow in Brazil.
