I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what an absolutely phenomenal performance Max put on this season.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a single fan who wouldn’t agree that he was easily the best driver of the year (even if some would perhaps not admit as much). While the performance of the car itself has frustratingly varied over the different tracks, Max himself has once again been so consistent in getting the absolute best out of it wherever he could.
There are so many moments to choose from as highlights that I can’t begin to pick just one. Japan qualifying out of seemingly nowhere and then defending for the entire race, Imola’s L1T1 overtake and then keeping the lead even when the safety car came out at an inopportune time, the absolutely flawless Austin weekend, pitlane to the podium in Brazil, pole in Silverstone, the sprint in Spa, perfect races in Vegas and Baku, fastest in the world at Monza, winning a race in an entirely different motorsport competition in between the insanity of the F1 calendar, the Jeddah pole… all while working so, so hard with his team to try to improve their circumstances with the car, even during the not-so-good times.
It has been a fantastic year to be a Max fan. Last year I had to deliberately step away from social media a handful of times because whenever they would get an excuse to do so, Max haters would come crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches and their toxicity was sometimes too much. Even with phenomenal performances like Brazil, people were still trying to downplay his success. This season, it feels like a lot of fans have finally accepted that he actually is that good. It’s been nice to see him getting more of the acknowledgement that he deserves, not just from a driving point of view but also for him as a person as well. (I’m not even going to attempt to list all of the off-track highlights from this season, there have been just as many if not more than there have been on track!)
That’s why, regardless of the outcome, I am very happy to be a Max fan right now. He is head and shoulders above the rest, and considering just how talented the rest are that is saying a lot. Max has cemented his legacy this year. I am so excited to watch what happens in the race, and even more excited to watch how he further extends his legacy in seasons to come.
Time to bring it home, Max.
