Contrary to popular belief, it is seldom we see or hear the full-blooded array of emotions we know Max Verstappen possesses deep in his psyche. Max 2.0 is no longer “Mad Max”; this is the new-and-improved version, still laser-focused but ultimately happier-than-ever. Four F1 titles in the cabinet, a fifth is a simple bonus. And it is that mantra which is inching him ever closer to an unprecedented comeback.
Yet on Saturday night under the Yas Marina bulbs, the Dutchman couldn’t resist a recrudesce. “Let’s f****** go, that was insane,” Verstappen beamed over team radio, immediately after setting not one but two laps worthy of a dominant pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In this most intriguing of season-deciders, Red Bull have struck the first blow.
