Austria showed Verstappen shares Schumacher's best and worst trait
Austria showed Verstappen shares Schumacher's best and worst trait
Everything that has made Max Verstappen one of the sport's greatest drivers and most controversial drivers in Formula 1 history came to the fore in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
His frantic fight with Lando Norris had the reigning champion pushing the limits, quite literally, in a battle that will live long in every fan's memory.
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Something about how instinctual Verstappen drives is reminiscent of another legendary figure of the sport, Michael Schumacher.
For some, the German driver is the best of all time, while for others, he's a flawed great of the sport, and Verstappen's racing is treading a familiar path.
On the edge racing
Although I am still younger than Kimi Raikkonen when the Finnish driver retired, I don't see a world championship title in my future.
Sure, a lack of finances, experience, or talent is part of that, but the killer commitment to do everything to beat a rival is lacking in me, too.
That's where Verstappen excels far above anyone, more than any other driver in the modern sport.
There are ministers of defence like Sergio Perez, the latest of late brakers like Daniel Ricciardo, one-lap wonders like Charles Leclerc, and political masterminds like Fernando Alonso.
Yet no one other than Verstappen is anywhere near Schumacher's level when it comes to fighting for every position as though they are all a matter of life and death. Both drivers have undeniable speed, pace, and racecraft, but few F1 drivers don't in the modern era.
What sets them apart, even from their multiple-champion peers like Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, is how their inner racer transforms them into a wholly different creature once inside the cockpit.
It was Schumacher's greatest asset. It also tainted his legacy, and Verstappen is cut from the same cloth.
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Schumacher and Verstappen's defensive instincts
Those dozen laps of Spielberg on Sunday condensed almost everything about Verstappen's daring driving style into 15 minutes.
His reflex to move right as soon as he saw Norris try to attack for the first time on Lap 55 exemplifies what was to come.
Norris radioed to complain about the Red Bull's movement under braking, and it initially sounded like frustrated sour grapes.
There's no denying Norris is quick, but he hasn't had the chance to fight for many victories before 2024.
There's always that tiny bit extra needed from a driver to make that step into becoming a regular race winner rather than a podium challenger, so I wondered whether a slight lack of conviction was missing on first viewing.
The replays showed that this wasn't a case of hesitation or nerves, though, and Verstappen did jink to the right after Norris went for the inside.
This move wasn't a last-gasp Michael Schumacher-Jacques Villeneuve 1997 lunge, but the natural reaction to reject the overtake was still there.
Lap 59 saw a repeat, albeit with Norris getting through and subsequently running wide, yet with much less attention than the earlier defence.
However, watching the Verstappen onboard, there is a notable jink to the right after he's begun downshifting for the corner after he sees Norris attack.
There's relatively very little on the line for Verstappen here, but who's to say whether a championship showdown would've seen that jink become a shove like Schumacher gave Damon Hill in Adelaide 1996?
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Is Verstappen a dangerous driver?
"He can't keep moving after I move, it's just dangerous, else we'll have a big shunt," was the prophetic radio message from Norris.
The broadcast format made this unclear when he said this, but it was immediately after the Lap 59 move overtake attempt, showing how it affected his driving.
Norris' best attempt came on Lap 63, arguably the move that would've won the race had the stewards intervened before it was too late.
He made it on the inside line, got to the apex first, and didn't go off track, but Verstappen's never-say-die attitude had the Dutchman take to the runoff and retain the lead.
The irony of Verstappen complaining about Norris' moves being divebombs and not how you overtake was laughable, but Gianpiero Lambiase's agreement made the situation almost embarrassing.
Of course, I don't expect GP to reply by telling Verstappen, "Divebomb overtakes are your staple move, what do you mean?"
But there is a hero-worshipping element of a driver who can do no wrong at Red Bull right now that draws parallels to Ferrari bending over backwards for Schumacher in his heyday.
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Pushing Norris past the limit
Even after the inevitable Lap 64 incident, there's the moment when Lando takes to the grass to avoid further contact with Verstappen.
Both drivers were in damaged vehicles, yes, but Verstappen was constantly checking his mirrors due to his reduced speed and still required Norris to take avoiding action on the run to Turn 4.
There were no sharp wheel turns this time, but the constant drift to the right and lack of movement to avoid the rapidly closing in McLaren suggested to me the desire to keep ahead no matter what remained.
Norris backed off after having almost all of his car on the grass verge, and Verstappen defiantly sped off to temporarily keep the lead.
The circumstances are different, but as Juan Pablo Montoya said of Schumacher in 2004 after being pushed to the grass, "You've got to be either blind or stupid not to see me."
Contrary to that fiery line from one of the best drivers to never win a championship, Verstappen and Schumacher are neither sightless nor dumb.
Yet they will go much further than those they share the track with would ever dare through their innate instincts to stay ahead.
That attitude often pays off, but when it doesn't, the stains on the legacy begin to deepen, and Verstappen's got much dirtier in Spielberg.
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F1 Race Calendar 2024
-
GP CHINA
19 - 21 Apr
Max Verstappen
-
GP USA
3 - 5 May
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
17 - 19 May
Max Verstappen
-
GP MONACO
24 - 26 May
Charles Leclerc
-
GP CANADA
7 - 9 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP SPAIN
21 - 23 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRIA
28 - 30 Jun
George Russell
-
GP GREAT BRITAIN
5 - 7 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP HUNGARY
19 - 21 Jul
Oscar Piastri
-
GP BELGIUM
26 - 28 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP NETHERLANDS
23 - 25 Aug
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Charles Leclerc
-
GP AZERBAIJAN
13 - 15 Sep
Oscar Piastri
-
GP SINGAPORE
20 - 22 Sep
Lando Norris
- GP USA 18 - 20 Oct
- GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct
- GP BRAZIL 1 - 3 Nov
- GP USA 22 - 24 Nov
- GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Franco Alejandro Colapinto
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Oliver Bearman
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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