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Is Max Verstappen the best thing to happen to Formula One?

25th August, 2016
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Here come the Verstappen! Max Verstappen, the lyrical gangsta, won the Barcelona Grand Prix. (Red Bull content pool)
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25th August, 2016
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If you were planning on buying tickets to the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, you might be out of luck.

The race’s official website has stopped selling tickets, and third-party vendors are offering little else other than general admission to the historic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

A sell-out crowd in a season featuring a German Grand Prix just over 300 kilometres away is heartening, but the projected attendance figure is marked departure from the past decade regardless of the competition.

“Seventy-thousand tickets have already been paid for,” André Maes told Belgium’s La Dernière Heure. “And I speak here of actual numbers – three-day tickets sold.”

The good news didn’t stop there, he added in a later edition of the paper.

“Everything sold from the beginning of the week is not yet recognised, [and] on average … between 3000 and 6000 people still buy their ticket on the spot. We could even sell 10,000 more.

“It’s been a long time that we have not reached these figures – since 2001 or 2002.”

The 15 years since the turn of the millennium have comprised some excellent seasons, but it is in 2016 the loss-making race is set to give the promoter’s accountants a reason to smile. Why?

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The answer comes in just three words: Max Emilian Verstappen.

Max Verstappen’s story will forever be part of Formula One history – youngest debutant, youngest points scorer, youngest podium-sitter, youngest winner – but his Formula One career ranges far broader than mere personal success.

At little more than 18 years and 47 weeks old, Verstappen is becoming synonymous with Formula One for a growing number of fans.

Even the purely anecdotal observation of European crowds by this writer before the midseason break suggests as much – though European national flags are common at European grands prix, the Dutch flag is becoming increasingly prevalent to rival even the omnipresent Finnish banner in support of Kimi Räikkönen. That’s no mean feat.

The paddock too is testament to the growth in corresponding Dutch interest since Verstappen’s meteoric rise. The number of Dutch journalists attempting to satiate the booming demand for Formula One news has swelled, and even minor news outlets in the Formula One game have seen marked rises in clicks from the Netherlands.

The Verstappen Effect has been so keenly felt in the Netherlands that there’s talk of a revival of the Dutch Grand Prix. The rejuvenating of Circuit Park Zandvoort, last used by Formula One in 1985 and still used today by smaller categories, could even be on the cards after the local government initiated an investigation into bringing back the race.

On the track Verstappen’s presence is having an equally great effect, even beyond his predisposition to breaking records.

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With the notable exception of Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull’s driver programme has benefitted immensely, not only in terms of its credibility but also in terms of the standard of its drivers.

Both Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo have benefitted from Verstappen’s fifth-round promotion. Sainz has seen the tension brought about by the Verstappen camp’s ruthless ambitions inside Toro Rosso lifted and has excelled ever since.

Ricciardo, on the other hand, has been forced to dig deeper than he thought capable to answer to his new teammate’s innate abilities.

“You think you may be at your limit, but sometimes you’re not,” Ricciardo told Motorsport.com. “With Dany [Kvyat] I always thought I was pushing myself – and then Max came on.

“Probably since then we’ve both found another level.”

And that’s before we consider Verstappen’s racing style – ambitious, aggressive, and with little room for fear. Controversial? Sure – but no-one can accuse him of failing to contribute to the spectacle of Formula One.

Even the FIA, originally a doubter of such magnitude that regulations were changed to prevent future debutants racing before their 18th birthday, has been converted, awarding Verstappen the 2015 ‘action of the year’ award for his pass on Felipe Nasr at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.

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Has there been another driver in the last ten years to have such an effect on Formula One? Only Lewis Hamilton, praised by Bernie Ecclestone for doing more to promote the sport than any other driver, could claim as much pull as Verstappen – but even he hasn’t triggered any new grands prix.

What’s more is that Verstappen, not yet 19 years old, has a long career ahead of him – and given the effect he’s had on Formula One in just 18 months, there couldn’t be better news for our sport.

Follow @MichaelLamonato on Twitter.

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