Max Verstappen Running on “F1 Plus” While Underdogs Lewis Hamilton & Co. Given Fair Warning

After the blockbuster season we witnessed in 2021, the 2022 season felt a bit pale in comparison. But that’s a compliment to how astoundingly dominant Max Verstappen was during the whole season. The Dutch lion cruised to the championship with races to spare at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. That being said, given that 2023 would only be the second season of F1’s newest era, nothing, in terms of performance and the pecking order, is set in stone.

While there is a lot of work to be done by the boys and girls back at the factories of the teams over the winter, Verstappen’s 2022 showing is something that will be playing on loop in the minds of many fans and pundits. That being said, according to ex-Red Bull driver, Mark Webber, one Max Verstappen drive blew everything else out of the water.

Webber sat down with Motorsport.com to reflect on how the past season has gone by. He began by chalking the potential roadmap he expects the top three teams to follow. He said, “Actually, everyone has to lift their games in all aspects. We saw that Mercedes had great reliability, Ferrari of course less so. But Red Bull had good reliability and were strong at all tracks.” 

Red Bull arguably had an ace up their sleeves all season long in the shape of their Dutch driver. “And Max, it’s just ‘Formula 1 plus’ for him at times. I think the highlight for me was to see what he did through the field in Spa [where Verstappen won, starting from P14]. That was just unbelievable,” said the Australian as he marked his favorite moment of the 2022 season.

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Despite a great year, Verstappen himself isn’t jumping on that 2023 Red Bull hype train just yet. And according to Webber, there’s a pretty good reason behind it.

Webber expects a 2023 Mercedes curveball for Red Bull and Max Verstappen

Irrespective of the nascency of the new regulations, a lot of factors add to the suspense of the forthcoming F1 season. Red Bull have an aero-testing penalty to contend with. Ferrari has a new man in charge as Frederic Vasseur hopes to cure the gremlins that plagued an otherwise competitive package. And Mercedes aren’t going to give up on their crown without a fight.

Webber began by assessing the damage dealt to the Bulls by the FIA. “I don’t think anyone knows really how much that’s [the 10% aero testing penalty] going to impact them, but I’m sure they’ve got enough creative people there to keep it going.” But Webber feels Red Bull needs to be wary of the Silver Arrows.

“But I think we also don’t know how much Mercedes have given up on this year. In some ways, giving up is not the right word, because there’s always some learning for next year. But I mean how they allocated the time, the R&D and the money under the budget cap between last year and the 2023 car.

“Thanks to those elements, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the first quarter plays out next season.”

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If Webber’s apprehensions are right, can Lewis Hamilton be third-time lucky against 2x champ Verstappen?