Is Verstappen faster when angry? 'Then the lion comes out'

'Verstappen is even faster when he's angry!'

The highest position Verstappen has managed to win from was P14. That is until he won from p17 at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite all the hardships that Verstappen and Red Bull faced due to his strong drive, Verstappen could still take home the championship title in two races early. 

When asked if this was Verstappen's best season yet, Giedo van der Garde said, "That depends a bit. At the beginning, everyone thought it would be the same kind of season as last year, but then other teams caught up. Ferrari was strong, McLaren made a huge step, and then it became really interesting because you saw that Red Bull was under pressure; they were losing against the rest. We know that Max is a very strong driver, but I also think he put the team together and, on the other hand, drove extremely well."

In Brazil, Verstappen showed the critics just how talented he truly was by turning his madness into motivation. Van der Garde then said: "I know Max and Jos very well. But I know one thing: when they get angry, especially Max, he performs better. I don't know how he does it, but you saw [in Brazil] from the beginning that he was on a mission. And that, for me, is incredible to see because he is super talented. The race pace he has is super nice to see, but when he gets angry, it's really something else. The lion comes out then, and he performs even better. That's very nice to see."

'Verstappen will be champion in Las Vegas'

With only three races left, Verstappen could become champion in Las Vegas. Van der Garde, therefore, thinks he will succeed: "I think it would be nice for him to win the championship in Las Vegas. It's a fun city. You can have a good party there. But he approaches every weekend more or less the same. And, of course, he knows he can win a title for the fourth time. I'm sure he'll go all the way. I think he will win in Vegas."

This article is in collaboration with Savannah Lenz.