There are great drivers, there are fast drivers, and then there's Max Verstappen. The latter possesses skills that the first two groups, combined, simply cannot match.
Especially when the fight is intense. That's according to Giedo van der Garde, who knows the Dutchman's career intimately as a compatriot and colleague on the track. And he says it's not worth betting on anything else...
“When the time comes again, and there’s a real tug-of-war, you just know that Max has the advantage because he has that little bit extra. He won’t make the effort to make a mistake in decisive moments, as Lando Norris has shown. If the latter really wants to be a challenger, he still has to strengthen himself a lot, a lot, especially mentally. Let’s just look at 2024, when Norris had a competitive car for much longer than Verstappen. Was he able to take advantage of that? No, because he made many mistakes. All of this happened because Max simply crushed him in tense situations... If Norris has his car this year and the team gets behind him as one, and he makes fewer mistakes in decisive moments, then he could have a shot at the world title. In any case, I wouldn’t bet a lot of money against Max Verstappen…” - said Van der Garde.
Photo: Imago
