F1 Godfather

Max Verstappen has now spun or crashed six times in 2026.

For almost any other driver, that would already be one of the biggest narratives of the season.

To be fair, these were not six driver errors.

Austria and Silverstone were linked to rear-aero or rear-wing failures, while the exact cause of his Australian qualifying crash remained unclear.

But Miami, Hungary and Zandvoort were mistakes.

What interests me is how differently those mistakes are presented.

In Miami, the spectacular 360° recovery was celebrated as another demonstration of Verstappen’s brilliance — while the error that dropped him from P2 to P10 almost disappeared from the story.

At other times, explanations surrounding the car arrive so quickly that the possibility of driver error barely gets discussed.

This doesn’t mean Verstappen has suddenly forgotten how to drive. It means that, with a more unpredictable car and greater pressure, he is showing the same vulnerability as every other driver.

The dominant years may have hidden how fine those margins really were.

Greatness and fallibility can coexist. But if Verstappen is presented as the best driver in F1, his mistakes should be judged by the same standards as everyone else’s.

So after what we have seen in 2026: is Max Verstappen still the best driver on the grid — or is his reputation now doing part of the work?

“I try to watch the TV as much as possible…” 📺😅

Lando Norris after winning in Zandvoort by 11.5 seconds.

And if that sounded like a little flex… he’s definitely not the first F1 winner to do it. 🫢

🇦🇪 **Hamilton — Abu Dhabi 2019**

Lewis absolutely dominated the race, eventually winning by **16.772s**.

Asked about his advantage afterwards, he admitted he had been watching Verstappen and Leclerc fighting behind:

“I saw on TV you guys battling…”

Max immediately replied: **“You could have slowed down!”** 😂

🇦🇪 **Verstappen — Abu Dhabi 2022**

Max won by **8.771s** while Pérez and Leclerc were fighting for P2 in the championship.

After the race, Verstappen was able to explain exactly where Pérez had lost time in traffic.

How did he know?

“…because I was watching the screen.” 👀

🇧🇷 **Verstappen — São Paulo 2023**

Max won by **8.277s**.

Meanwhile, Alonso and Pérez produced an incredible fight for P3 behind him.

Verstappen later joked that he was watching their battle so much on the big screens that he **almost missed Turn 4 himself.** 😭

🇦🇪 **Norris — Abu Dhabi 2024**

While leading the race that would decide McLaren’s Constructors’ Championship, Norris was still keeping an eye on Leclerc’s charge through the field:

“I was watching the TV screens and I saw Charles was P8 after lap one…”

So yes, F1 drivers are incredibly busy inside the cockpit.

But sometimes when you have the pace, the gap… and a few conveniently placed TV screens…

you can apparently **win the Grand Prix AND watch the Grand Prix.** 😂📺

That little *“I had time to watch what you guys were doing”* winner’s flex has been around for a while. 🫢

Lando Norris — Four McLaren extensions in five years, when will be the next one ?

New regs can mean a lot of DNFs

I must say I was super duper surprised when I saw Stroll P13 and Alonso P14 in Hungary, after witnessing with my eyes how slow they were in the previous race in Spa…

Sometimes you have to make a decision which won’t go well with one of your drivers, if you want to win. And it looks like neither Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team or Scuderia Ferrari HP are willing to do so, so far. Papaya rules for everyone?

The psychology of a racing driver isn’t it ?

Just a concentrated smile that make you understand the best is coming….