Focusing on Verstappen: The Dutch Revolutionary in Motorsport
Max Verstappen, the 18-year-old Formula 1 phenomenon, snatched his first Grand Prix victory during the Spanish race, making headlines as the youngest champion in the history of the sport, smashing the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel by 6 months.
Verstappen's rapid triumph marked the beginning of his meteoric rise to fame, leading the press to dub him as the 'new Cruyff of Motorsport'.
In Barcelona, CNN questioned Jos Verstappen on whether his son had become the country's ultimate sports star. The proud father gave a resounding 'yes', capping off an overwhelming week for Max.
His success race came following a series of achievements that would make young Verstappen the talk of the town. At just 17, he made his debut in the Formula 1 racing circuit with Toro Rosso, and a mere a month later, he joined Red Bull Racing, the coveted powerhouse of the discipline.
Despite the absence of a footballing legend like Johan Cruyff in the sport, Max has emerged as the new hope for the Netherlands. The country has a rich history in football, having reached the World Cup finals three times, with Johan Cruyff being a prominent figure during one of those victorious campaigns.
The current state of Dutch football fluctuates, as the country failed to qualify for the 2016 European Championship. Nevertheless, Max has been instrumental in keeping the motorsport scene alive and in thrusting his origins into the limelight.
Upon FourFourTwo surveying the motorsports horizon, journalist Ivo Opden Kemp underscored Max's uniqueness, commenting, “He gets the front page and I can assure you, you have to write 'Verstappen' in the title if you want a story to make it in the charts."
The Netherlands might have already seen legends like Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben in the past, but Opden Kemp believes Max surpasses these illustrious figures, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of motorsports in Europe.
While the majority of Europe has its eyes on the Formula 1 this season, many 'Verstappen' fans have made the journey from the Netherlands all the way to Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya to witness their sporting hero's rise to victory.
In fact, Damon Hill, the Formula One World Champion from 1996, compared Max's meteoric rise to that of Michael Schumacher's, also being a teenage sensation before becoming an icon in the sport.
Max's talismanic aura around him did not go unnoticed, as an extensive number of Dutch fans travelled to the Spanish race track following his promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing. Dutch journalist Louis Dekker believes it is too early to see Verstappen as Cruyff's successor, but the passion Maria sharpened for her father's legacy makes a striking comparison to Cruyff's aura.
Footnote:
- Max's height is listed as 5 feet 11 inches or 180 cm. - Johan Cruyff's height is listed as 5 feet 10 inches or 178 cm.
