London, September 6 (BUS): Max Verstappen will turn 25 when he wins his second Formula 1 world title, but whether it will be days or weeks after his birthday in Singapore at the end of September remains to be seen.
The Red Bull driver is so in control that without wanting to lure fate into a sport full of dangers, it is certainly only a matter of time and place and not if, Reuters reports.
Conclusion of things in Singapore on October 2 may be a possibility, although Japan seven days later looks likely depending on what happens at next Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on Sunday took its 10th victory in 15 races, leaving it top of the standings by 109 points with seven rounds remaining.
He’s 25 on September 30, when he’s busy with Friday practice for Singapore, and he’ll need to be 138 points by the end of this race to make it more than a birthday celebration.
That’s a big demand but closest rivals Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez have failed to score in three races each so far.
On Sunday, Verstappen scored 11 more points than Leclerc and 16 more than Perez.
The super-fast Monza should come in handy for Red Bull, who jumped for game one and two in Belgium, while Singapore could bring Mercedes into the mix.
Third in Zandvoort was Leclerc’s best result since his victory in Austria in July, while Perez has now finished on the podium in four of the last five races – and if the Mexican is Verstappen’s closest rival, there is no competition.
Ten victories
The Dutch driver has already racked up his 10 wins in 2021, the year he took his first title in the last race in controversial circumstances, and is now on track to break the record of 13 in a single season.
The feat carries a warning, as Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013) have won 13 races each in 18 and 19 races respectively compared to the current 22.
Verstappen will likely ignore that anyway.
“I don’t think he cares. He just doesn’t look at things like that,” team boss Christian Horner said when asked about breaking the record.
“He goes to every race wanting to win it, that’s his driving, that’s his competitiveness.
“He’s not a big guy for the stats and records although he was enjoying wearing his dad’s crash helmet (Colors) this weekend which was the only Grand Prix helmet Gus won.”
As it stands, Verstappen could go on vacation until the Mexican Grand Prix at the end of October – overtaking Italy, Singapore, Japan and the US – and still be ahead.
The penultimate round of Brazil, which follows Mexico, is a sprint race with eight bonus points available on Saturday.
Nobody expects the tournament to remain open by then.