Former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen was left stunned by Max Verstappen’s “unbelievable” display in the Japanese Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion defied the odds to claim pole position at Suzuka, to the complete shock of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen claimed pole by setting a new lap record, before converting it into a fourth consecutive victory in Japan.
This also saw the 27-year-old break the record for most wins in a row in the Japanese GP, whilst he also moved to just a point behind Norris in the F1 drivers’ title fight.
The Red Bull driver’s performance has gone down as one of the greatest of all-time, with the team still having issues with the RB21.
Kovalainen noted that the performance was a reminder of Verstappen’s talent, having not been at the front this season until Japan.
“I think we’ve seen pure brilliance by Max Verstappen,” Kovalainen told the F1 Nation Podcast.
“I think it’s still the case that the Red Bull Car is not as fast as the McLaren car, but Max drove an absolute stunning qualifying lap, got everything and probably a bit extra out of the car.
“And then the race today was a sprint qualifying in the 53-lap race, and the top three was separated by a second or two all the way throughout the race. And Max had the pace and didn’t put a foot wrong.
“It was an unbelievable display of of his skills. It’s just a good reminder to all of us, if we’ve seen the last few races that he’s had sort of average races, because his standards are obviously very high.
“He reminded us why he’s the four-time world champion or one of the all-time greats. It’s been a pleasure to watch the pure display of sheer might I’d say.”
