MAX IS AN UNDENIABLE PHENOMENON, BUT...

Anyone who follows me knows this well: I have a great deal of respect for Max Verstappen. Not blind admiration, to be clear — I can’t stand some of the madness he pulls on track, like what we saw in Mexico 2024 or Budapest. But despite the occasional lapse, I already consider him one of the greatest of all time. I’ve been saying it for a while, and I’ve taken plenty of heat for it. Comes with the territory.

What really surprised me, though, were the reactions I read and heard after the Suzuka weekend. Sure, Verstappen was nearly flawless — but for him, that’s become almost business as usual. Yet here come the Senna comparisons, talk of a heroic feat, as if he had fought his way up from the back. Spoiler: he didn’t. That kind of thing? That was Kimi in 2005 — in a race people back then even called "boring"...

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to take anything away from Max. That pole lap was masterful. But if we’re going to seriously analyze the Japanese weekend, we also have to look at what everyone else got wrong. Take McLaren, for example: they threw away a potential front-row lockout in the final qualifying run. Norris and Piastri just didn’t deliver the laps they needed to, plain and simple. Verstappen, who I see as consistently operating above the average, did what he does best — he maximized the car’s potential. The others? They didn’t.

And on that note, I have to point something out. As usual, the harshest criticism came down on Lando Norris. But let’s not forget: before the final attempt, he was in fifth. Piastri was sitting on provisional pole. So if we’re assigning blame for a missed opportunity, Oscar should be the first name mentioned.

To get into the details: in that final qualifying lap, Norris and Piastri split the fastest sectors of the session. Lando lost some time in sector three and ended up P2. Piastri, on the other hand, botched sector one and dropped to P3. Once again, Verstappen was the only one who managed to piece all three sectors together when it really counted. But at this point, that shouldn’t surprise us anymore.

As for the race: Suzuka, with these current cars, has become almost impossible for overtaking. The cars produce so much downforce in the fast corners that following closely is nearly unmanageable, and the DRS zone is so short it doesn’t allow for real passing. If you don’t have at least a one-second pace advantage, you’re simply not getting by.

And here’s another key factor: Red Bull had a clear straight-line speed advantage over McLaren. That allowed Max to stay comfortably out of Norris’s DRS range the whole time. Lando, even though he was gaining some time in sector one, would lose it all down the straight into 130R — even with the slipstream.

Piastri, meanwhile, being behind Norris, could use the tow more effectively and dip under the one-second mark. But never enough to make a serious move. A lot of people say he had better pace — and maybe he did. But Norris held a steady gap to Max the entire stint, and it’s not like his tires were in great shape either.

In the end, Max deserved the win. But it’s also true that he got there partly thanks to others' mistakes — or shortcomings. His talent isn’t up for debate, but you still need the right context to shine.

I’ll close with a thought that keeps circling in my head: every time Verstappen dominates, the usual Senna comparisons start flying. But to me, he’s looking more and more like Michael Schumacher. Maybe less mystical, sure — but ruthlessly efficient. A surgical champion, with no room for error.

© Simone Marchetti Cavalieri