“F1 Drivers Are Bit Like Jockeys…”: Red Bull Imposes a Strict Rule on Max Verstappen Despite 2022’s Unprecedented Triumph

The dominant fashion of Max Verstappen winning the 2022 championship is not novel to F1. And Red Bull deserves such a victory, given how early they bet on their Dutch prodigy back in 2016. Despite the consistent performance, the team has set some more expectations for Max ahead of the 2023 season.

Red Bull bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have asked Verstappen to lose some weight for next year. The reasoning behind this expectation is the anticipation of a tight championship challenge from Mercedes and Ferrari.

As per Nextgen-Auto, Marko said, “We indeed dominated despite an overweight car. This may be the reason why the team turned a blind eye to the weight of Max (Verstappen). He must lose a few kilos this winter, after the holidays I guess he will go all out!” [translated via Google]

Meanwhile, Horner has also echoed these expectations about their lead driver. He stated, “F1 drivers are a bit like jockeys where they have to arrive under a certain weight.”

“And we’ve seen that [Max’s] weight start to climb a bit, after the steakhouses in Austin [USA] and the taquerias in Brazil. He’ll be back to a good weight I’m sure by the time he gets back in the car in February next year.”

The logic makes sense as Red Bull may not want to be losing time due to either the driver or the car being overweight.

Read More: Being “Boss” Not Enough as Max Verstappen Woken Up to Flaws in Red Bull F1 Role

Though for Verstappen, these secondary aspects just haven’t really affected his performances over the years. The Dutchman has produced some memorable drives irrespective of car characteristics, pace, or track conditions.

When it was a ‘Max Verstappen’ Show in Brazil

Rewinding your minds to 2016, when Max Verstappen had his first season racing for Red Bull. Verstappen produced arguably one of his best performances under changeable conditions at Interlagos.

The Sao Paulo track was drenched due to rain and drivers were pushed to the limit in the race. With the lack of grip and visibility, Max also suffered from a wrong strategy call for slick tires. The team pitted him for fresh tires 16 laps before the end of the race, dropping to P16.

Despite that, Verstappen charged on his wet tires to pull off some audacious overtakes. Getting one man after the other, the Dutchman got to the Top-5 and soon into the podium positions in P3.

Max made some memorable passes, but he wasn’t flawless. He somehow managed to save himself from crashing into the barriers at the top of the hill approaching the main straight. It was a heart-stopping moment for the team, but Max kept his cool head.

He was the talking point of the race, as many started comparing his wet-weather drive to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called it the “Verstappen” show, praising the Red Bull driver’s skills.

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While it was just a podium back in 2016, Max has pulled off some breathtaking wins in tricky conditions since then. He is one of the bankable drivers on the grid when the track goes damp. What do you think? Where does Verstappen stand with his wet weather ability?