F1: The prodigious boredom of Max Verstappen and the warnings for overcoming the track: “We have all laughed”

The Dutchman wins his fifth race out of seven contested and improves his start to 2022 despite the threat of sanction

• Chronic Cold in Montmel: the Mercedes snatch the podium from Sainz and Alonso finishes seventh

Behind the Red Bull garages, as the Montmel crowd filed into the car parks, a mechanic from max verstappen he would take a breather and a colleague of his would appear, a mechanic Czech Prez. This guy is incredible [Este to es increble]he said, pointing to a Verstappen sign and the two of them laughed together.

Possibly both were referring to the scene experienced during the race, a scene that perfectly exemplified the absolute, unbreakable, overwhelming dominance that the Dutchman exercises in the current Formula 1. In first position, always in first position, Verstappen was noticed in up to three times -twice in turn 5 and one in turn 10- for having exceeded the limits of the track and, for this reason, at the end, they pointed out a black and white flag. Nothing important, really. Just a warning. But if he went off the asphalt again he could receive a multi-position penalty and lose the victory that was already his.

By radio, his team told him about the danger, pointed out that he had more than 15 seconds ahead of the second, lewis hamiltonand asked him to stop. And what did Verstappen do? He stepped on the accelerator like crazy, set a record in one of the three sectors and got the fastest lap. Okay, man, now you can relax and finish the race, his engineer told him over the radio, Gianpiero Lambiase, that later, when Hamilton snatched the fastest lap from him, he did not dare to tell him.

Sainz’s first corner

Driving this car is a great pleasure. I think we have always followed the right strategy. Winning here is always magnificent, declared Verstappen, who celebrated the first victory of his life in Formula 1 precisely at this circuit, seven years ago, just when he jumped from Toro Rosso to Red Bull. The three warnings for exceeding the limits of the track are things that happen. The team has informed me, but they don’t know how fast I can go and I could really go faster without going off. So that’s what I’ve done. When I finished that fast lap we all laughed, pointed out the current champion, with total control of what happens on the asphalt. In fact, if there was a moment, a single moment, in which he could have been overtaken, it was in the first corner, when Carlos Sainz, in second place on the grid, was placed right next to him to threaten him. I started with harder tires, I knew I had to defend the position and I have done it, he said.

With his victory, five in the first seven races, even better than last year, Verstappen dominates the World Cup with 53 points ahead of his teammate, Checo Pérez, and 71 points over Fernando Alonso, which is still third. A few other circuits that choked him in 2022 lie ahead, such as Silverstone, Singapore or Sao Paulo, but in his current state of form it seems unlikely that he will lose the title.