Max Verstappen said the 2022 F1 car ‘RB18’ wasn’t the fastest car in the early stages, and after being forced to retire twice early, as he rallied to win the F1 title ‘Mistakes are not allowed’ , he said.
Max Verstappen will win his second F1 world title in 2022, setting a new record of 15 wins and 454 points for the season. He beat Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc by 146 points.
Winning the title with four races to go showed Max Verstappen’s dominance this season, but he feared his title chances were in doubt at the Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola.
This after being forced to retire with fuel pump problems in both Bahrain and Australia, where he was 46 points behind Charles Leclerc (nearly two wins).
Asked if he could identify one area where he has really improved this year, Tamax Verstappen stressed the importance of scoring points in every race and he couldn’t make any mistakes after an early retirement.
“We know that when we have to fight for the title, we basically have to score as many points as possible in every race,” said Verstappen.
“That’s why it was so difficult to get that retirement early in the year. From then on, I knew I couldn’t afford any mistakes on my part should I have to retire for any reason.”
“Every weekend I try to be as clear as possible. That’s what I wondered every time I jumped in the car.”
Max Verstappen’s style in winning the 2022 F1 title was in stark contrast to his first F1 title win in 2021, which saw a year-long battle with Lewis Hamilton culminating on the final lap of the final race.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are out of contention for the championship this year, with Max Verstappen’s main challenges coming from Charles Leclerc and Ferrari throughout the first half of the season.
However, after the summer break, Red Bull successfully developed the RB18 and Max Verstappen managed to win nine of the last 11 races.
Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen has “taken a new step as a driver” into 2022, following a “heavyweight bout” with Lewis Hamilton last year. .
“He’s been very mature this year, riding calmly and taking big wins under a lot of pressure,” said Christian Horner.
“It’s something you only know when you look back on the season. Looking back on some races like Saudi Arabia, Miami, Montreal, there were some moments there.”
“It wasn’t the fastest car at the start of the year. He kept us in the fight, kept pushing and drove with incredible precision and pace.”
“When the opportunity presented itself, he grabbed it with both hands.”
