Formula 1: 3 Max Verstappen ‘weaknesses’ that can be exploited

Max Verstappen small weaknesses: No. 2 – Starts

While Max Verstappen has not had much issue in winning races on days when he doesn’t have the fastest car (20 of 37 wins from non-pole) and capitalizing on having the fastest car when he does (17 of 22 poles to wins), lap one hasn’t always been his friend — especially lately.

He was jumped by both Mercedes drivers in Melbourne and had to fight back to retake the lead, and his jump off the line during a red flag standing restart a little bit later in the event also did not go all that smoothly.

Then in the Baku sprint race, George Russell got a much better start and eventually got past him for third place, even though he needed to drive a hole in the side of the RB19 to do it. Verstappen eventually got him back, but it was a position he never should have lost to begin with.

This might well be the most important weakness on the list because of when it occurs. Sure, there is plenty of time over the course of a 300-kilometer race to fight back, especially in a rocket ship of an RB19, but when all 20 cars are so close together, the potential for incident is at its highest, as we saw in Baku.

Let’s not forget Abu Dhabi in 2021, either. While everyone likes to talk, or in some cases obsess, about the finish, Verstappen started on pole and immediately lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton, despite being on a softer tire.