Max Verstappen and almost bulletproof Red Bull leave Ferrari far behind

“It’s not going to spoil my day,” was Max Verstappen’s deadpan response when asked about the booing he received on the podium after victory at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. The Dutchman even wore a wry smile as he shrugged it off. As well he might, the rumble of discontent from Monza’s tifosi an insignificant background to the resounding success that has all but secured his second Formula One world championship.

After a nail-biting conclusion to last season, when his contest with Lewis Hamilton went to the wire of that controversial decider in Abu Dhabi, this year could not stand in greater contrast. Verstappen has imposed himself on the championship, winning 11 races from 16 meetings. He leads Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 116 points and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez by 125. There are six races left but he can wrap up the title at the next round in Singapore or, failing that, the one after in Japan.

This has been a remarkable run for the 24-year-old after last season confirming all the promise he had shown as a teenager when he joined F1 as its youngest driver at 17 in 2015. Yet last season’s finale, when he clinched his first title, remains contentious, particularly for Hamilton.

The decision of the then race director, Michal Masi, to improvise around rules under a late safety car cost Hamilton the win and the world title. The seven-time champion said in Italy he still felt the pain, especially when the FIA studiously employed its rules correctly under a similar late safety car as Verstappen won at Monza.

This season, however, there have been no questions about Verstappen’s defence of his title. Nor, despite what the results would suggest, has it been a pushover.

In March at the season-opener in Bahrain, while