Is this the start of a reign for Max Verstappen?

Facts : By becoming world champion for the first time in his career, Max Verstappen became the new king of Formula 1. At 24, he managed to beat a seven-time world champion of the caliber of Lewis Hamilton on the track. In 2021, the Dutchman has passed several levels, which makes one wonder if his title obtained in Abu Dhabi marks the start of a reign under the yoke of Max Verstappen.

Yes, by Julien Billiotte

The King is dead (naturally speaking, Sir Lewis Hamilton is fine), long live the King! His successor, Max Verstappen, known as the Impetuous, may assure us that he fulfilled his mission by acceding to the throne, but I find it very difficult to envisage his Dutch Highness being satisfied with a single crown. At 24 years and 73 days, the new monarch is the 4th youngest world champion in history and he has already proposed to his stable of hearts Red Bull to continue traveling together for 10 or 15 years. This makes them opportunities to win additional titles. So yes, he will have to deal with a seemingly vengeful Hamilton from next year. After his narrow defeat against Nico Rosberg in 2016, the Briton returned with the knife between his teeth to reach new heights. The 2021 campaign proved that he was still playing at his best level and a decline, even gradual, clearly does not seem possible in the immediate future. But what about the future? Hamilton has already made it clear that he has no intention of racing beyond the age of 40. That would take us to the 2025 season at the latest. Verstappen would then only be 28 years old, a year younger than his rival when he won his second crown in 2. When Hamilton resigns for good, who will be able to compete with a driver as complete and talented as the crack of the Netherlands- Down ? Among the contenders, several candidates stand out. First of all Charles Leclerc, double winner in Grand Prix. There is no doubt about the Monegasque's steering, nor his ability to fight on the track, including against the master of close combat that is Verstappen. However, can we imagine the Dutchman being dominated by Carlos Sainz over an entire season?

The question may seem insulting for the Iberian who is coming off a fantastic 2021 season and continues to silence those who expressed doubts about his ultimate potential, me first and foremost. But when he and Verstappen were teammates at Toro Rosso as rookies during the 2015 campaign, the score turned quite clearly to the advantage of the Batavian (49-18). Sainz had certainly taken the lead in qualifying but it must be borne in mind that Verstappen had just moved from karting to F1 in just 18 months! If the Madrilenian is no longer the same in 2021, what can we say about the brand new world champion? Another declared rival: George Russell, who will, a priori, have quality equipment from next year at Mercedes. But here too what is the ultimate potential of the Briton, who only rubbed shoulders with a diminished Robert Kubica and a Nicholas latifi limited at Williams ? Of course, his luxury freelance in the face of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir GP was sparkling, but one swallow does not make spring. And facing Hamilton, in his stable, is no easy task! Although Russell could steal more points from Sir Lewis than the harmless Valtteri Bottas.

Other legitimate opponent: Lando Norris in McLaren. Revelation of the 2021 season after putting a multiple Grand Prix winner experienced as Daniel Ricciardo, who nevertheless had the merit of being present when necessary, the young English driver is relatively close to Verstappen with whom he participated in online endurance events. But like Ferrari, will McLaren have taken advantage of the 2022 aerodynamic reset to close the gap with Mercedes and Red Bull? Same questions for Alpine and AlphaTauri, who field the French F1 winners Esteban Ocon et Pierre Gasly, other ambitious hopes. In the end, if Hamilton can slow down Verstappen's statistical rise for a few years, I have a hard time seeing the Dutchman stopping so well.

NO, by Gonzalo Forbes

The question has the right to be asked but it does not deserve to be asked at the moment we are speaking. After seven seasons in F1 and a year 2021 where he demonstrated the ability to dominate all of his comrades, Max Verstappen has finally won the holy grail, the ultimate goal of his professional career. What to get excited about next? Obviously, but not to the point of confirming that the young Batavian is about to begin to reign.

There are certain reasons for me to say that Max Verstappen is not at the start of an era of pure domination as his Mercedes counterpart was able to do in the hybrid era. The first one ? Because Lewis Hamilton. Virtually champion for 57 of the 58 laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Englishman lost everything in the last few hundred meters against a unleashed Dutchman. Affected, the seven-time world champion undoubtedly suffered the biggest setback of his career since that of 2007 against Kimi Räikkönen (title won by the Finn when he was leader before the last round in Brazil). This does not mean that he intends to stop there. If he remained evasive about his future at the end of the GP, the Briton should hold his place well in 2022 and above all be motivated to recover his crown.

La deuxième raison qui me fait penser que le règne Max Verstappen n’a pas encore commencé est l’introduction de la nouvelle règlementation technique de la F1 en 2022. À compter de la saison prochaine, une nouvelle génération de monoplaces animera le championnat. À la lutte de mars à décembre avec Mercedes, Red Bull a peut-être pris du retard sur le programme de développement de sa future monture. Un cas de figure qu’ont rencontré McLaren et Ferrari après leur bataille acharnée en 2008. Arrivés en 2009, les Anglais et les Italiens étaient très loin de Brawn GP, Red Bull ou encore Toyota avant de progressivement redresser la barre. Un cas de figure que pourrait rencontrer l’écurie autrichienne dans les prochains mois privant ainsi Max Verstappen de la possibilité de continuer sur cette bonne dynamique. Mais ça, c’est l’avenir qui nous le dira…