After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, all eyes turned once again to the Mercedes drivers. And rightly so. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton once again competed for the winners' podium - and this for the fourth time in the fourth race of the season.

In the World Cup, the Silver Arrows of the competition drive at top speed. Vice World Champion Sebastian Vettel is third, more than 30 points behind them. Since Ferrari actually has the most powerful engine in the field, Vettel's weakness is next to the Mercedes dominance, the second dominant theme of the still young Formula 1 year.

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Formula 1 2019: All drivers at a glance

A name that hardly appears in the headlines, on the other hand, is Max Verstappen. That was different last year. After the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, there was little other topic than the young Dutchman and his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. The two Red Bull pilots had delivered a tough duel on the track, which ended with an anticipated crash.

"A question of intelligence"

It was not the only dubious action that made Verstappen negative in the past season. At the Chinese Grand Prix, he collided with Vettel because of his impetuous driving style. After the race in São Paulo, Brazil, Verstappen struggled in the paddock with Esteban Ocon, for whom Fia condemned him to community service.

The fact that Verstappen is an exceptional talent is considered commonplace in Formula One. Since joining Red Bull in 2016, he has been trading as the upcoming world champion. At the age of seventeen, Verstappen became the youngest debutant and only a year later the youngest Grand Prix winner in Formula One history.

But as undisputed his qualities are as a racing driver, so far his unbridled temperament seemed so problematic. "At some point, that's not a question of age anymore, but a matter of intelligence," Niki Lauda said after the Verstappen dropouts in April 2018, adding that the Red Bull pilot was standing in the way of himself: "He has to start from his 'I'll beat everyone' arrogance down a bit. "

Do not make mistakes, but benefit from mistakes

The Dutchman seems to have taken this next step before this season. Verstappen seems to have grown up at the age of 21. Although he is no longer noticeable by excessively spectacular overtaking maneuvers, but no longer by Harakiri actions that endanger him and others. In the slipstream of the Mercedes-Ferrari competition, he has made the best start of his career in the season, scoring consistently in the first four races of the year and lurking just one point behind Vettel in the championship standings.

ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE / EPA-EFE / REX

Max Verstappen at the Red Bull on the spectacular street circuit in Baku

Verstappen finished third in the Australian Grand Prix, followed by three fourth places in a row. The Red Bull driver therefore always landed in front of at least one of the two Ferraris, at the season opener in Melbourne even before both.

Instead of making mistakes that cost World Cup points, as in the past few years, Verstappen now benefits from the mistakes of others. When qualifying in Shanghai, there was a brief relapse into bygone times, as he sent vile swearing words on the pit radio, but in the subsequent race he was back under control.

"He is sensational on the way"

The Dutchman benefits from the fact that he can be sure of the full support of his team. Last year, when he was still in direct competition with Ricciardo, which led among other things to the accident in Baku, Verstappen is now the undisputed number one in Red Bull. Ricciardo has switched to Renault. Verstappen's new team-mate Pierre Gasly is not (yet) at eye level.

The new coolness, consistency and consistency of his top driver makes Red Bull Motorsport Director Helmut Marko dream of the big hit. In an interview with the "Kronen Zeitung", the 76-year-old prophesied that Verstappen will be competing for the World Cup this year. "The timetable fits in. Max has so far picked up the maximum, the important placings, he is there sensational on the way."

Already at the next race in Barcelona, ​​Marko hopes that Verstappen will be able to compete for victory at the Red Bull thanks to technical updates. In fact, over the past few years the Austrian team has demonstrated its development abilities over the course of a season. So the car in which Verstappen sits tends to get better and better. Just like him.