Michael Schumacher's role explained as Max Verstappen wins third F1 title
Max Verstappen has now won three F1 titles on the trot
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Max Verstappen is now an F1 champion for the third time in his career.
The 26-year-old secured the latest crown by finishing second at a sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
It means Verstappen has now won three F1 titles, the same amount as greats such as Ayrton Senna, Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.
What doesn't bode well for Lewis Hamilton and Co is the Belgian-Dutch driver is showing no signs of slowing down and, therefore, could be set to dominate for many years to come.
Michael Schumacher snapped holding a young Max Verstappen
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Nico Rosberg, speaking after Verstappen's latest triumph, compared the Red Bull star to both Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
"It's really historic," said the German.
"It's unbelievable, the run of form he's had. And the level that he's driving at, the records he's beating - unreal!
"He's even getting close to those five greatest of all time now.
“It's spectacular. With the way he's driving, he's getting close to the Fangios, Schumachers, Sennas and Hamiltons.
"It's so motivating for those within team Red Bull to know that they have got one of the greatest drivers of all time driving their machine.
"It's such an uplifting thing and that's what is driving them."
And Schumacher has actually played a role in Verstappen's stunning rise to the top of the sport.
The F1 icon hasn't been seen in public for nearly a decade, ever since his devastating skiing accident in the French Alps in December 2013.
Long before that, however, he was a source of inspiration for Verstappen growing up.
The Red Bull star spent a lot of time with the Schumacher family as a youngster, with his father Jos close friends with the former Ferrari driver.
Footage released in Netflix's Drive to Survive shows the Red Bull star talking about Schumacher.
He told F1 Insider: "I was three or four years old at the time. I just knew that was Uncle Michael.
"Who was very nice. Who was an extremely big family man.
"But I never saw him as a record World Champion, I didn’t know that."
And Verstappen also revealed he, Jos, Schumacher and Mick Schumacher would enjoy go-karting together as well.
"We always went karting in two-seaters. Michael with Mick or Gina, my father with me.
"But when it got too dangerous, the fathers quickly took over!"
A picture was shown in the documentary of Schumacher holding a young Verstappen, as well as daughter Gina-Maria.
Fast-forward to now and the F1 star is very much the man to beat - just like Schumacher once was.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Christian Horner expects Max Verstappen to dominate F1 for many years to come
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And it'll be fascinating to see how he develops in the coming years, with Christian Horner believing Verstappen is capable of continuing his stunning form.
“He doesn't leave anything on the table,” said Horner. “He wants it all. And that drives and motivates the team internally.
“I think he is relentless in his pursuit of performance. He doesn't want to just win: he wants to dominate.
“You see that in any great sportsman. Their pursuit of excellence and pursuit and not just wanting to be first, but certainly dominate, is again a hallmark what makes him such an exceptional talent.”
He added: “Some of the races he's driven this year have been so great that it's exceeded all our expectations.
“I think Max as a driver has just continued to evolve, he's continued to grow and the level that he's now operating, and the way he's able to read races, the way he is able to manage tyres, the mental strength that he has in the high-pressure moments is absolutely outstanding.”
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