Between past and present
In 74 years of Formula 1 history, there have been recurring themes that repeat over time. Very different eras can unexpectedly share similarities. This year’s Drivers’ title race has presented a clear scenario: first, there was a solitary escape with Max Verstappen pulling ahead by winning seven of the first ten GPs, followed by a difficult chase by Lando Norris, who – not without struggle – emerged as the main challenger to the multi-champion Dutchman.
The McLaren driver has clawed back an average of 5.3 points per race over the last six Grands Prix from Red Bull’s #1. A similar situation – though with some differences, starting with the points system – occurred 15 years ago, in 2009. Back then, the roles were somewhat reversed: an Englishman dominated the start of the championship and led the standings – Jenson Button – while Red Bull was in pursuit, with Sebastian Vettel trying to close the gap to the Brawn GP driver, though ultimately failing.
So many similarities
The parallels are striking. Just as Lando Norris has struggled to emerge as Max Verstappen’s main challenger, Sebastian Vettel had difficulty immediately positioning himself as Button’s main rival. On the other hand, Jenson Button won six of the first seven GPs but failed to win any of the next ten. Sebastian Vettel won three of those races, but his final victory came too late, in Abu Dhabi, when Button had already secured the title mathematically. What’s particularly interesting is that both Jenson Button in 2009 and Max Verstappen this year claimed their last win in the same month: June. Button’s win came on the 7th in Turkey, and Verstappen’s on the 23rd in Spain.
Of course, Max Verstappen could still completely rewrite this story by returning to the top step of the podium in one of the last six GPs of the year. However, so far, the number of similarities connecting these two seasons, which seem so distant and different, is remarkable.
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