With Max Verstappen on the verge of winning his second world championship, sitting pretty on the championship table with a 116 point lead, former F1 driver Timo Glock believes Verstappen is “turning F1 upside down” with his outstanding performances this season.
Verstappen is part of a new generation of F1 drivers, including Charles Leclerc and George Russell, who are both in the top four of the driver standings.
However, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso still performing well, Glock was asked if he thought the sport was entering a golden age of talent.
Timo Glock told the Beyond the Grid podcast: “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 1, it feels like he is turning F1 upside down at the moment.”
“The way he dominates, how he grew up being so competitive against Lewis—Lewis being the older guy, as well as Alonso being so experienced, still having the hunger, being so motivated to beat the young guys, it is just really interesting to see.”
George Russell, in particular, has found himself in unusual territory at the front of the field after graduating from Williams to Mercedes after a three-year stint.
The Sky Deutschland pundits have been left impressed by Russell’s performance so far.
I asked George, “What is the difference when you come from a small team like Williams at the back of the grid to a top team like Mercedes against the big man Lewis Hamilton? What is he doing differently? ” said Glock.
It was interesting to hear what he was saying. “It is the way he goes into a weekend super focused, being so precise, understanding the racing, the strategies, how he has to handle his tyres and so on.”
“It’ll be interesting to see what the young guys do when they come up next to Lewis Hamilton, how they learn from them, and how quickly they understand how to adapt, take it on board, and do it themselves.”
