Prost: Old Verstappen ‘disappeared’ after 2021 title

F1 world champion Alain Prost believes that Max Verstappen became a different driver after his 2021 maiden title in F1, the Dutchman morphing into a much more “calmed down” competitor.

F1’s championship fight in 2021 went down to the wire and culminated with a controversial showdown in Abu Dhabi from which Verstappen emerged as the contested victor.

Since, the Red Bull charger has added two more championships to his impressive track record, having conquered the 2023 crown last time out in Qatar with five races to spare.

Verstappen crushing forward march in 2022 and this season has been helped by Red Bull’s ability to field a car that has been far superior – at least in the hands of the Dutchman – to its rivals.

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But Prost also believes that Verstappen has evolved as a driver since 2021.

“Winning a third title is already something great," commented the four-time F1 world champion. “To win titles in a row is even greater. Because only a few great names have managed it.

“But I think that what makes Max Verstappen so great and so strong is his ability to be a great driver that he has been able to develop in order never to stumble and always to want more.

“There is no doubt that he has succeeded in becoming a great driver. But what, in my opinion, makes him even stronger is the way in which he has learned to be one with his car and his team.

“He’s a great whole who strives for perfection every day. When you hear the driver complaining about the bad behaviour of his single-seater during free practice on Friday morning, it’s not the anger of the kid who used to make mistakes and sometimes ended up in the wall because of his impatience.

“No, this Max disappeared at the end of 2021 at the end of his magnificent battle against Lewis Hamilton. I’m not going to talk about the highly controversial Abu Dhabi final, but about the way he and his Red Bull battled throughout the season against Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.”

As dominant as the Verstappen-Red Bull combo has been in the last two seasons, Prost sees no reason for the pair’s supremacy to wane in the future.

“It's a bad sign for the competition because it won't stop anytime soon," added the four-time world champion.

"The next two years without rule changes are not going to change much. And even from 2026 - because he and his team are very talented - they will rise to the challenge and at least compete for the title."

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