Mark Webber says F1 will see a "refreshed" Max Verstappen return to the fray next week at Zandvoort, and with no pressure to deal with, the Red Bull driver will be an even stronger force to be reckoned with.
After claiming at Spa last month his tenth win of 2023, Verstappen headed into F1's summer break with a massive 125-point lead in F1's Drivers' standings over current runner-up and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
There's little doubt that Verstappen will claim his third world title this season, perhaps even as early as the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of September, like last year.
For Webber, the Dutchman's forward march this season has been "one for the ages".
"To get that level of advantage with the depth of competition in F1… There’s so many, so many opportunities to make mistakes, whether it’s pit stops, reliability, presentation of the car, driver errors, but it’s just been a run for the ages," Webber told F1.com.
"And obviously [McLaren in] 1988 was the last time it happened."
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The former Red Bull charger, a nine-time Grand Prix winner in his own right, reckons that Verstappen's unwavering supremacy will remain unchecked in the second part of the 2023 season.
"He’s the one out there executing," he added. "He’s dancing when the curtains go back and he goes out on stage and does it.
"We know the level of intensity he brings – he’s top drawer. For the opposition, of course, he’s now well-established in his career, he’s got an immense amount of experience.
"He’s going to enjoy the break, he’s going to come back refreshed. And I think because there’s even no pressure on him, it’s even more of an advantage for him."
While Verstappen's current win tally for this year sits at ten, the 25-year-old claimed at Spa his eighth consecutive win, which puts him just one victory short of the record set in 2013 by Webber's Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Next week's Dutch Grand Prix is thus the perfect venue for Verstappen to join Vettel in F1's history books.
"I think the world would like to see him win his home race," Webber said. "To do the business there would be extraordinary. He should win that one and then he’s equal."
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