Despite Double Trouble, Max Verstappen’s Controversial Championships Receive Validation

Max Verstappen recently picked up his second world F1 title after the win in Japan. However, Verstappen’s team Red Bull Racing were handed a strong blow just a day after their star driver retained his championship. However, the former two-time world champion, Emerson Fittipaldi thinks Verstappen has nothing to do with this.

The Dutchman whose first title has come after the controversial race in Abu Dhabi last year when he defeated Lewis Hamilton on the very last lap of the last race, faces yet another controversy. As per FIA reports, the Dutch driver’s team allegedly breached the 2021 FIA cost cap. Despite this, Emerson Fittipaldi who won F1 titles in 1972 and 1974 believes Verstappen’s titles should not be tarnished because of this.

Talking about this, the two-time world champion shared in a report published by the Vegas Insider, “In my opinion, he really deserved it last year and he really deserved it this year. He won most of the races in the last championship and this year he was fantastic on his way to the championship.”

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“What happened in Abu Dhabi had nothing to do with Max’s talent and he deserved to be world champion. And this year is exactly the same. Max showed the performance, showed his talent, showed that under pressure he doesn’t wither. He showed that he is a World Champion,” further shared the two-time world champion.

Can Max Verstappen break Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s records?

Max Verstappen had an amazing season in 2022 so far. Amazing would be an understatement as the Dutch driver has won a staggering 12 races out of the 18 races he took part in this year.

Moreover, the 25-year-old had two DNFs earlier this year due to reliability issues. Had that not been the case, the number of wins could have been different. As things stand now, the Dutchman is just one win away from matching two Formula 1 greats, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher.

Schumacher recorded his wins in the 2004 F1 season when he won 13 races. Current Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel recorded the same feat in 2013. Verstappen has raked in 12 wins so far. This means, a win will see him match the two Ferrari legends, while two more wins will see the Dutchman set a new world record.

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However, some believe that Verstappen has the advantage of more races this year. While Schumacher and Vettel won 13 races in 18 and 19 race seasons, while Max Verstappen is having 22 races in 2022.