Max Verstappen has reached new heights since winning his first title in 2021, dominating F1 racing.
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost believes Max Verstappen’s victory over Lewis Hamilton in 2021 has given the Dutchman the “confidence and assurance” he needs to become unstoppable. Unbeatable.
Since being outclassed by the seven-time world champion in the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen has been unstoppable, having racked up 29 wins since the start of 2022 alone.
In 2023 alone, the three-time world champion broke the record for most consecutive wins, while he is just two wins away from breaking the record of 15 wins in a season.
With the exception of the Singapore Grand Prix and the opening rounds of the season, Verstappen has never been challenged, leaving his rivals frustrated. Given that the regulations will not be changed until 2026, Prost expects the Dutchman’s dominance to continue for at least two more seasons.
Red Bull’s advantage is widely considered too great to recover before 2026, effectively allowing the Milton Keynes-based team to bypass new powertrain regulations.
As a result, Prost believes Verstappen will continue to dominate over the next two seasons, before resuming his title challenge when new regulations are introduced in 2026.
“Beating the seven-time world champion gave him confidence and assurance. This first title made him stronger. Since then, he has calmed down. Except in the pursuit of perfection,” Prost wrote in his column on L’Equipe.
“It’s a bad sign for the competition because I don’t see him leaving anytime soon. The next two years without regulatory changes will not change its current strength much.
“And, from 2026, when he is in symbiosis with his team, they will be able to overcome challenges together and at least fight for the title.”
This certainly does not bring joy to Hamilton or Mercedes in general, teams that cannot compete with the Austrians.
Hamilton’s and Mercedes’ dominance is quickly becoming a distant memory, with the 103-time race winner having simply not been given a good enough package by the Silver Arrows.
Prost can completely understand and relate to how the 38-year-old is currently feeling, as the Frenchman went through two seasons where fighting for the championship simply wasn’t on the cards.
“When I was driving, the hardest thing for me was always to be excluded from the battle for the Championship. I wanted to fight to the end,” Prost continued.
“There’s nothing worse than living through the 1987 or 1991 seasons when the car didn’t allow you to be among the front runners.
“I think that Verstappen is the same and that he will be able to manage his motivation, not because he wants the seven titles of Schumacher or Hamilton, but because he is capable of winning every weekend and will probably stay that way for a few years.”
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