Ex-F1 driver Timo Glock has hailed the soon to be double World Champion Max Verstappen, with the imperious Dutchman having “turned” the championship “upside down” according to the German.
Despite having retired from two of the opening three races, Verstappen has gone on to win 10 of the following 13 races, giving the 24-year-old an unprecedented 116-point-lead over Charles Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen has been nothing short of unbelievable, with the Dutch driver having been a level above everybody on the grid across the entirety of the season.
He did superbly to bounce back from Red Bull’s early season reliability issues, where Leclerc had opened a bit of the gap in the standings.
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Whilst Ferrari have had their issues, Verstappen has ensured that he’s always in the right position to benefit from the Maranello-based team’s blunders.
It’s because of this and his habit of winning every single race that he has his first chance to win the championship this weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit.
If Verstappen wins a sixth consecutive race and achieves the fastest lap at Singapore, then he will retain his title if Leclerc fails to finish in the top eight and if Sergio Pérez fails to finish in the top four.
Given what needs to happen to win the title in the Asian country, it does seem more likely that he’ll win the championship at the following race in Japan.
Glock, who has raced for the likes of Toyota, Virgin Racing and Marussia, praised Verstappen for the effect he’s had on the championship, with it currently being “upside down”.
“The talent we have on the grid, looking back to Charles, looking back on George, the history of how they went through the junior categories and dominating… Max coming into Formula One, it feels like he is turning F1 upside down at the moment,” said Glock on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
Glock was also quick to praise Mercedes’ George Russell, who has settled into the Silver Arrows very nicely this season.
The Brit is still in the fight for second in the Drivers’ Championship, despite having a car which is comfortably the third best on the grid.
Russell’s “super focused” mindset was recognised by the former German driver, who also hailed the former Williams driver for being “so precise”.
“The way he goes into a weekend super focused, being so precise, understanding the racing, the strategies and how he has to handle his tyres and so on.”
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It wasn’t just the young drivers who Glock discussed in a positive light; the 40-year-old also had time to talk highly about Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Glock has been impressed by the seven-time World Champion’s “motivation to beat the young guys”, something he’ll need to maintain in 2023 should he wish to fight for an eighth title.
“[Hamilton] being so motivated to beat the young guys it is just really interesting to see,” Glock concluded.