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Max Verstappen finished third in Mexico. Normally not news. But this time was different. His car was powerless. His team struggling. Yet he conjured a podium from nothing. Rivals are baffled.
"I don't understand how he does it!"
Yuki Tsunoda's statement sums everything up. "I don't understand how he does it!" From a driver with access to comparable data, that's devastating.
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Charles Leclerc described the fear in a "Verstappen/Hamilton sandwich." That intimidating presence on track. The psychological effect of knowing he's behind you.
Red Bull went in Mexico "from dominant to powerless in seven days." Laurent Mekies admitted: "We couldn't give Verstappen a fast car." That podium wasn't self-evident. It was fighting against the current.
Verstappen's Mexico performance:
● P5 qualifying, disappointing starting position
● Car fundamentally too slow at altitude
● Team struggled with complete mystery
● Nobody in team believed in good result
● Marko only one who dared believe, nobody wanted to bet
● Podium purely on talent and fighting spirit
The secret behind the magic
In Brazil in the rain we saw it. Verstappen's superior confidence and technique under braking. Leads to better tire warming. That's not luck. That's measurable advantage through skill.
He finds grip where others cannot. His braking technique generates temperature in tires faster. In wet conditions that's difference between control and chaos.
"Magical performance" and "magical stint" analysts called his Mexico race. Helmut Marko revealed he was the "only" one who believed in good result. Nobody wanted to bet with him.
That emphasizes how exceptional the performance was. Even within his own team. H3: From dominant champion to heroic fighter
The narrative shifted. No longer the driver in the invincible car. Now the fighter who performs despite material. That underdog frame is emotionally more powerful.
His supporters feel it. Verstappen against the world. Verstappen despite his team. Verstappen proving he's more than his car.
The political dimension
Verstappen's loyalty to Helmut Marko is known. Now Marko's faction holds power after Horner's departure, Verstappen isn't just star driver. He's central figure in political structure.
His performances justify recent power shift. He proves Marko was right. That old regime was the problem. That new leadership works.
That layer of political pressure on top of sporting performances makes story more complex. Verstappen doesn't just carry his own ambitions. He carries weight of internal revolution.
Transcendent talent
Rivals don't use words like "magic" lightly. They see the data. They know what's possible. And yet Verstappen does things that shouldn't be possible.
That's the sign of transcendent talent. Not just being fast when the car is perfect. But rising above shortcomings. Finding what cannot be found. Performing where others fail.
"I don't understand how he does it!" Tsunoda's bewilderment is the greatest compliment. From someone who knows the craft. Who understands the limits. And who acknowledges that Verstappen transcends those limits.
Against the world. Despite his car. Through pure, inexplicable magic. That's Max Verstappen in 2025.
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C. Sainz jr
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