In a sport dominated by egos, Max Verstappen has quietly risen to the top of his game, without really getting out of second gear (if you pardon the pun).
On the weekend of his 20th birthday, Verstappen came through the noise of an exciting title race to claim only the second victory of his young career.
Considering his talent, Verstappen has had a torrid season, only managing to finish eight of the fifteen races so far this season. But this race win is testament to his ability to not give up and keep fighting in every race.
Last time out in Singapore, he was caught in the middle of the manic start that saw the two Ferrari drivers join him crash out. If it wasn't for crashes like these, where most were arguably not his fault, he could have been challenging for the title this season; something he was hoping during preseason.
I mentioned earlier about Verstappen's ego, and I think that this is something that makes him really appealing, but also means he flies under the radar a lot. He's surrounded by huge egos. The flashy, designer branded Lewis Hamilton. The cool and fairly unspoken Kimi Raikkonen. And the arrogant, "I'm better than anyone else so it can't be my fault"* Sebastian Vettel (I'm not his biggest fan).
Verstappen sort of slowly goes about his business, without anyone really taking him seriously. He's that young driver - right? Nope. He doesn't mind mixing it with the big boys. He's had altercations with Vettel and his own teammate Ricciardo just this year, but he still doesn't make the headlines.
At just 20, he has shown so much potential and natural talent that has seen him clearly be better than three-quarters of the grid, even if this is only his second victory.
I don't know whether it's a case of he hasn't been noticed, but his attacking driving style and simple desire for victory can be hidden in the shadow of the likes of Vettel who drive with a similar style. But his reaction on Sunday in Malaysia show how much determination and work Max has put in over the last year, and the relief of that work paying off was a joy to watch.
His dad, Jos Verstappen, a former F1 driver himself, said that Max "really needed" this win.
"I think he needs it, he deserves it. He really needs it. I mean it was tough, this year for him was really tough."
If it wasn't driver's error, may it be his own or someone else's, that let him down, it was the car letting him down. Engine failure, or simply not fast enough. The Red Bull car hasn't always been up to scratch this season. Which doesn't do justice to the two quality drivers they have at the helm.
The biggest praise for Verstappen has to be his ability to have kept on going despite his various set-backs. Just as in other sports, doubts start to creep in over time. When you don't achieve like you'd want to, you start to think - am I going to be able to win again? - have I still got it?
He proved that he absolutely still has it this weekend. He was driving against a title chasing Lewis Hamilton, and still managed to over-take him beautifully (the video of which is at the bottom), and hold him off to take a superb victory.
Max Verstappen could hold the key to the Drivers' Championship winner the rest of this season, following this confidence boost. But just watch out for him next season. The young lad still has plenty to show.
What are your thoughts? Are the best times still to come for Max Verstappen? Share and comment.
You can read my other blogs at ScriptEye and I Can't Write Words here.
*not a direct quote - if that wasn't obvious.
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