The Dutchman dominated the entire 2022 F1 Belgian GP weekend with a Red Bull RB18 that he described as a rocket. Verstappen started the race in P14 and was up in P8 after a chaotic opening lap that saw Lewis Hamilton retire after an incident with Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen cut through the field like a hot knife through butter to take the lead in the race from Carlos Sainz even before reaching half-distance. The 24-year-old sped away to cross the line almost 18 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez, who helped secure Red Bull’s fourth one-two finish of the season.

Next up for the reigning world champion is a trip back home to race at the Circuit Zandvoort in front of an adoring Dutch crowd and Max Verstappen has done his homework in advance.

Speaking in a post-race press conference after his win at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP, he elaborated on the difference between driving at Spa-Francorchamps and Zandvoort. Max Verstappen said:

Max Verstappen has not changed much despite being one of the Netherlands’ highest paid athletes, claims Dr. Helmut Marko

Max Verstappen has not let fame or fortune change his personality one bit, according to Dr. Helmut Marko.

Marko is a retired Austrian racing driver now plying his trade as an advisor to the Red Bull team. He is also in charge of their world-class junior drivers’ program, which has given us the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz among others.

The veteran feels Max Verstappen has had to undergo a difficult transition to grow as an F1 driver and become the force he is now. Marko gave the Dutchman his first F1 outing during a Free Practice session at the 2014 Japanese GP weekend, where Verstappen impressed everyone at the age of 15. He then signed to drive with Scuderia Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2015.

The following year, Verstappen was promoted to the Red Bull team to replace Daniil Kyvat. He then won the 2016 F1 Spanish GP on his debut to become the youngest winner in F1 and has not looked back since.

In an interview with Formule1.nl in the Netherlands ahead of the 2022 F1 Belgian GP, Marko opened up about signing Verstappen as a teenager and watching him evolve into a world champion. The 79-year-old said:

The 24-year-old has now signed a massive contract with Red Bull that runs until the end of 2028 and has also raked in multiple high-profile sponsorship deals. The Austrian also touched on how Verstappen has not let his superstardom affect him even slightly, adding:

As things stand, Max Verstappen appears to hold an unassailable lead at the top of the World Drivers’ Championship standings and looks destined to claim his second title with races to spare in 2022.

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