Andretti sees Verstappen getting much better: "He is in such a situation"

Mario Andretti praises Max Verstappen's season. In an exclusive interview with GPblog, the American discusses the Red Bull Racing driver's qualities and looks ahead to Verstappen's possible reign in F1.

World title for Verstappen

After the Japanese Grand Prix, it was certain: Verstappen will prolong his world title. Having already won his first world title in 2021 in the final lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi, the Red Bull driver takes his title this year with four Grands Prix to spare. It marks how dominant Verstappen has been this year.

"I think it was a fantastic season in so many ways. Because Max had to prove himself again. No one would realise that maybe the Mercedes wasn’t as competitive. He didn’t have as much as a fight with Lewis again," Andretti stated in the interview. The 1978 world champion did miss Mercedes and Hamilton in that title fight and he, therefore, hopes that the German team can again pose a more serious challenge in 2023.

Asked if Verstappen's performance surprises the man born in Croatia, the answer is as follows: ''No. I’ve seen the quality. I am sure everyone saw it. He has really grown. Even with Torro Rosso you could tell there was grit there, something more to come."

Red Bull distance themselves from the competition

The new aerodynamic regulations did help Red Bull Racing. Adrian Newey and his team were able to go back to the drawing board for 2022 and the RB18 proved to be a great success. Ferrari also did have a strong F1-75, but over a full season, Ferrari did not make progress as Red Bull Racing did. Mercedes are still without a win. 

With two world titles in a row, Verstappen already joins a list of greats at the age of 25, but the Limburger could add many more titles in the years to come. After all, the regulations will remain largely the same for the next few years and Ferrari and Mercedes will have to catch up with the RB18 first. Is this the start of a Verstappen dynasty?

''I think so. I don't think Max is going anywhere. He will be a force to be reckoned with. When you win as many races as he has won all of a sudden, he knows how to do it. The more confidence you have, the more you relax and make less mistakes. He is in that situation. That’s a mark of any champion. You haven’t seen Lewis make too many mistakes. That’s why they are champions."

GPblog had an exclusive interview with Andretti, of which we previously published two articles. These included Mario discussing the possible entrance of his family name into Formula 1, as well as looking back on his ride in an F1 car at the Circuit of the Americas.