'Not one area' where Max Verstappen hasn't evolved, feels Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz praised his old Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen for winning two championships in a row. The Spaniard was of the opinion that Verstappen was a completely dominant force this season and deserves his titles.

While speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2022 F1 United States Grand Prix, Sainz reflected on Verstappen's growth, saying:

“For sure. I think eight years in Formula 1 is a lot of years in Formula 1. And since day one of Formula 1 to year eight you evolve massively. For sure he’s evolved in every single area. There is not one area where you haven’t evolved and the way that he’s managed to keep doing step by step, improving everything, you know, because there’s nothing that we cannot improve in eight years. And it’s fair play to him and now he’s maximising also having a competitive car, which is something that you need in Formula 1 in order to win. If not, you’re never going to win.”

The Ferrari driver complemented Max Verstappen on executing the season perfectly, despite a major blow in the beginning, by saying:

“I don’t think I need to put any more prize to Max for what he’s done this year, because I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s done a very good job and everyone can see how good he has performed and how well he’s executed this season, especially after not an easy start of the season with a couple of DNFs, how they managed to recover and put together a lot of wins a lot of good moments through the year, keep it consistent, and be strong in the areas where we haven’t been able to be to be that strong. And yeah, congratulations to him, congratulations to Red Bull because they fully deserve it.”

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were rivals this year as the latter drove the highly appreciated Ferrari F1-75. The Spaniard, however, could never bring a major fight to the Dutchman and was out of the title contention soon.

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Red Bull boss hails Max Verstappen talent post second world title

Christian Horner has claimed Max Verstappen is the biggest talent that he and Red Bull have ever seen. The British team principal reflected on how Verstappen started showing his moves from the beginning itself.

Speaking to Motorsportweek, Horner expressed awe at what the Dutchman can do naturally, saying:

“He is quite clearly the most talented driver that I think we have had in one of our cars. What stood out was Spa (in 2015), when he drove round the outside of Felipe Nasr. I thought: ‘This boy is properly brave, committed and quick.’ You saw it that season: he was a shining star. It was evident immediately he was a prodigious talent.”

Max Verstappen became a two-time world champion at Suzuka after gaining full points post the race. He had a lead of over 100 points on his nearest rival and has won the majority of the races this year.