The 2022 Formula One season has been more of a procession than competition as Max Verstappen has marched to his second consecutive title ruthlessly.
Mercedes’ Dominance
In the last seven years, Mercedes led by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have dominated the scene, wiping the floor with everyone.
Verstappen’s Brilliance
The Dutchman’s brilliance this season has been one to remember. He became only the fourth person in F1’s history to win the title with four or more races to go.
He has won the 2022 Formula One title with ease while opening a huge points gap. Many pundits are expecting Redbull not to stop now. Max has been driving at levels that have not been seen since Lewis Hamilton.
Therefore, he is probably set to dominate this new era of Formula One up until 2026, when the current regulations change. Moreover, Verstappen is only 25 and we could be seeing him for 15-16 more years.
Redbull and Max have been making all the right decisions at the moment. This only means that their period of dominance will last for a couple of years more than what we saw in Mercedes.
Redbull’s Breach
However, Verstappen and Redbull’s dominance has come into question with allegations of breach of FIA’s regulations. They have accused Redbull of breaching the cost cap rules in 2021. FIA accuses them of breaching F1’s financial regulations on overspending.
Verstappen vs. Hamilton
Since 2016, when we saw a fierce rivalry between teammates at that time, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, the last two years have been quite something. Verstappen has emerged as Hamilton’s challenger and successor.
This rivalry has been taken a notch higher by both Redbull’s and Mercedes’ little love for each other. Verstappen is only 25 while Hamilton is 37 and we likely haven’t experienced the latter’s peak years.
We can also overlook this since Mercedes has been facing issues with their car the entire year even though we have seen massive improvements.
Other Formula One Drivers
We cannot rely upon the other 18 drivers to stop Max at this time. This is because I think they don’t have the skill and cars to rival him. His teammate Sergio Perez can be a challenger because he has the car but his lack of consistency is noted.
Conclusion
Therefore, it will take something extraordinary to defeat Max Verstappen at the moment because he seems hungry and unstoppable in that Redbull car. He is the new Formula One undisputed king.
