No Formula 1 driver puts pressure on his rivals quite like Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull star did it to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, winning his first title on the last lap of the season and preventing Hamilton from clinching a record eighth F1 title.
Verstappen came close to winning the title again this year, mounting an incredible late charge to crank up the pressure on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Earlier in the season, the McLaren teammates were contesting the F1 title between themselves.
But Verstappen changed all that.
Heading into Sundays season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it had become a three-way battle .
Verstappen did all he could.
He won in Abu Dhabi from pole position for a third straight race win , a season-leading eighth and 71st of a stellar career.
It was not quite enough to overtake Norris, who won his first F1 title by placing third in the race and ending up just two points ahead of Verstappen in the standings.
But it showed why Verstappen commands so much awe.
This Max guy is pretty hard to beat, McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky with a large dose of understatement.
One race earlier, at the Qatar GP, Brown had jokingly compared Verstappen to a horror movie ghoul who keeps resurfacing.
Hes like that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think hes not coming back, hes back, Brown said in a podcast interview before the Qatar race. What an unbelievable talent he is. He never makes mistakes. He seizes every opportunity. Weve never thought he was out.
Stunning comeback
After winning the Dutch GP on Aug. 31, Piastri led Norris by 34 points and was 104 ahead of Verstappen, who back then had won just two races compared to seven for Piastri. Verstappen took advantage of McLarens errors to barge his way back into contention.
(When) you lose the championship by two points it looks painful. But on the other hand, if you look from where we were in Zandvoort, more than 100 behind, then its not too bad, Verstappen said. Im very proud of the whole team. We could have also very easily given up at that point.
Verstappen is already considered among the F1 greats, alongside Hamilton, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
Despite his relatively young age, the 28-year-old Dutchman is already third all-time for race wins behind Schumacher (91) and Hamilton (105). Verstappen has 127 podium finishes and 48 pole positions one area where he is not as clinical as Hamilton (a record 104 poles) was in his prime with Mercedes.
Turning the tables
When Norris won the Brazil GP sprint race in early November, he moved 39 points ahead of Verstappen with four races to go.
A few weeks later, Verstappen had dramatically turned the tables and all the pressure was on Norris and Piastri.
Its probably fair to say that the world discovered an even more extraordinary Max this season, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said. A bit because of the magnitude of the comeback. A bit because he has been so relaxed.
Verstappen has been more amiable since becoming a father earlier this year, and has made a concerted effort to reign in his occasionally scathing rants over team radio.
He was all smiles and friendly with Norris when they watched highlights of Sundays race in the cool-down room.
In the past, bursts of rage or flashes of frustration would get the better of Verstappen.
Less so now.
But one thing that hasnt changed is his intense desire to win and deep self-belief, whatever the odds.
The fightback has been really fun, Verstappen said. I dont see it like losing (the championship).
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在一级方程式赛车手中，马克斯·维斯塔潘给对手施加的压力无人能及。
2021年，这位红牛车队的明星车手在赛季最后一圈击败刘易斯·汉密尔顿，赢得个人首个F1冠军，同时阻止了汉密尔顿创纪录地第八次夺冠。
维斯塔潘今年险些再度夺冠，他在赛季尾声发起惊人攻势，给兰多·诺里斯和奥斯卡·皮亚斯特里施加了巨大压力。而在赛季初期，这对迈凯伦车队的队友曾为F1冠军头衔展开内部角逐。
但维斯塔潘改变了一切。
在本赛季收官之战阿布扎比大奖赛即将于周日打响之际，冠军之争已演变为三方角逐的格局。
维斯塔潘已竭尽全力。
他在阿布扎比站从杆位发车并连续第三次夺冠，这也是他本赛季第八次问鼎分站赛冠军，同时是其辉煌职业生涯中的第71个冠军头衔。
诺里斯最终以第三名的成绩完赛，并以仅领先维斯塔潘2分的优势夺得个人首个F1冠军，这一微弱差距让对手未能实现反超。
但这正展现了维斯塔潘为何能赢得如此崇高的敬意。
迈凯伦CEO扎克·布朗（Zak Brown）对天空体育台说道，语气中带着明显的轻描淡写：“这个叫马克斯（Max）的家伙可真不好对付。”
在此前的卡塔尔大奖赛上，布朗曾开玩笑地将维斯塔潘比作恐怖片中不断现身的鬼怪。
布朗在卡塔尔大奖赛前的播客采访中表示："他就像恐怖片里的角色，就在你以为他不会回来时，他突然又出现了。""他拥有令人难以置信的天赋，从不出错，总能抓住每个机会。我们从未认为他会出局。"
惊艳逆转
8月31日荷兰大奖赛夺冠后，皮亚斯特里以34分优势领先诺里斯，并比维斯塔潘多出104分——当时维斯塔潘仅赢得两场分站赛，而皮亚斯特里已斩获七场胜利。随后维斯塔潘利用迈凯伦车队的失误，强势重返冠军争夺行列。
维斯塔潘表示："以两分之差与冠军失之交臂确实令人痛心。但换个角度看，想想我们在赞德沃特站时还落后100多分，这样的结果也不算太糟。我为整个团队感到无比自豪——当时我们本可以轻易放弃，但大家坚持到了最后。"
维斯塔潘已被视为与汉密尔顿、七届F1冠军迈克尔·舒马赫以及埃尔顿·塞纳比肩的F1传奇人物。
尽管年纪尚轻，这位28岁的荷兰车手已在历史胜场数排行榜上位列第三，仅次于舒马赫（91胜）和汉密尔顿（105胜）。维斯塔潘共127次登上领奖台，并48次夺得杆位——不过在杆位数量这一指标上，他还未达到汉密尔顿效力梅赛德斯巅峰时期创下的惊人纪录（104次杆位）。
扭转局面
11月初，诺里斯赢得巴西大奖赛冲刺赛后，在剩余四场比赛的情况下，将领先维斯塔潘的优势扩大到39分。
几周后，维斯塔潘戏剧性地扭转了局势，所有的压力都落在了诺里斯和皮亚斯特里身上。
红牛车队领队洛朗·梅基斯表示："或许可以公平地说，本赛季全世界看到了一个更加非凡的马克斯。部分原因在于他强势回归的震撼力，部分则源于他始终保持着从容不迫的状态。"
维斯塔潘自今年初为人父后变得更为和善，并刻意收敛了通过车队无线电发泄激烈言辞的习惯。
当他们在休息室观看周日比赛的精彩集锦时，他对诺里斯笑容满面，态度友善。
过去，维斯塔潘常常被突然爆发的愤怒或瞬间的挫败感所左右。
如今已不那么如此。
但有一点始终未变：无论胜算几何，他始终保持着对胜利的强烈渴望和坚定的自我信念。
维斯塔潘表示：\\"这次反击的过程非常有趣，我并不认为这是（冠军）的丢失。\\"
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