#loved this piece so i couldn't not post even though we're already in canada race week

[thissying]

It's not Verstappen’s triumph in Monaco that causes a stir, especially his qualifying lap has got instant iconic value.

At age 25 Max Verstappen is already quickly on his way to becoming one of the greatest in Formula 1 history. Not just in numbers but especially because of his occasional exceptional deeds. Acts like the one in qualifying in Monaco.

A corner for eternity

Confronted with his stats, realisation suddenly seemed to kick in. Like reality had suddenly sunk in halfway through his answer. His 39th victory in Formula 1, with which he definitively leaves Sebastian Vettel behind as the driver with the most wins in a Red Bull, what did that really mean for Max Verstappen? The  two-time world champion initially began talking about the qualities of the car, tried to explain his achievements in a bone-dry manner. As he usually does.

The day before he’d shrugged his shoulders at the historical value of his incredibly good qualifying during the Monaco Grand Prix. “I always put the pressure on myself to perform and luckily that works,” the Dutchman responded, somewhat trivialising. But on Sunday he let that down-to-earth shield drop a little. “Yes, it’s great,” he concluded. I never thought I’d be in this position in my career. When I was young, I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver and the fact that I’m winning races now is fantastic. It’s better than I ever could have imagined.”

Because at age 25, Verstappen isn’t just a mere Formula 1 driver any more. He’s a motorsport legend in the making, a driver of historical proportions. He has two world titles and, as stated, 39 wins. This puts him sixth on the eternal rankings of most successful drivers, measured by race victories.

And in Monaco he underlined once more that he’s rapidly heading for a third world title, even though this season is only six grands prix underway. Only ten drivers before became more than two-time world champions. Ayrton Senna is one of them, the Brazilian has three. Meaning Verstappen can equal him this season. And if he wins the next grands prix (Barcelona and Montreal), he will also equal Senna in day victories.

Epic

But it’s the Brazilian who crashed fatally in 1994 of all people who has shown that a legendary status isn’t just commanded with stats. It comes down much more to showing extraordinary things. Senna’s epic, sometimes dirty, battle with Frenchman Alain Prost still captures the imagination. Just like Senna’s qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1988. The way in which he won pole is to this day still considered to be the best lap ever driven in a Formula 1 car.

As far as that is concerned Verstappen achieved something similar over the past weekend. Especially the image of that one turn to the right at the end of qualifying lasts. Knowing he needed a perfect last sector to enforce the crucial pole position, the world champion sought the limits. He couldn’t have cut the corner a millimetre sharper. And a striking animation of his fastest qualifying lap and that of Fernando Alonso later showed flawlessly how he turned a deficit into a lead exactly in that corner. It was perhaps the best taken corner of all time. A clip that might just, like Senna’s superior qualifying lap, show up for decades in the run-up to future editions of the Monegasque street race. This way, Verstappen has once again enriched his heritage with a special deed.

If he ever quits as a Formula 1 driver, the Dutchman will be remembered as the king of overtakes. He will be commended for his strategical ability, his tire management. But above all he will have gathered a number of extremely special highlights. Such as, of course, the way he took his first world title. But most certainly too, the magnificent qualifying from last Saturday with which he rose above himself under great pressure.

- Marijn Abbenhuis, 29 May 2023, Monaco GP, Algemeen Dagblad