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There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel’s Formula 1 careers.
Only two drivers have ever won a drivers’ championship for Red Bull, and both Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel sit on four titles each.
Helmut Marko was instrumental in both of their careers, with Vettel poached from BMW Sauber after just one race, while Red Bull beat Mercedes to signing Verstappen while he was still racing in Formula 3.
Vettel had to deal with a much tougher teammate in the form of Mark Webber, who pushed him right to the final race in 2010 when he won his first championship.
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Red Bull have been trying to find a more competitive partner for Verstappen after the recent failures of Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, and have put their faith in Isack Hadjar going into 2026.
Verstappen is highly regarded among his peers, with many of the rookies on the grid crediting him with guiding them during their maiden season in the sport.
Photographer Darren Heath sees plenty of goings on in the paddock that many fans don’t realise is happening, and has seen the Dutchman start to take on many of the same characteristics of his Red Bull predecessor.
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Max Verstappen ‘going through’ the same transformation as Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull
Heath was speaking on the James Allen on F1 Podcast about how drivers change throughout their careers.
He talked about how he noticed that change as the years went on, and particularly when drivers go on to start challenging for championships.
Heath said: “When I go back, and some commercial client says, we need a career profile of Sebastian Vettel, for instance. What did he look like when he was a BMW Friday driver?
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“Honestly, he looks about 12 years old. At the time, it didn’t strike me because he’s just that Sebastian Vettel.
“By 2010, when he won his first world title, he’s like a man, and he’s got stubble, and he’s got a square jaw, and he’s got some lines, and he’s taken on this mantle.
“As you say, he seems to have aged 10 years in three or four.
“I think what we’re going through now is when you look at Max Verstappen, he suddenly looks like a guy who has, I don’t know, assumed that kind of Empress-like standing within the drivers.”
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Sebastian Vettel recognised Max Verstappen’s talent before he won his first F1 championship
Verstappen has surpassed many of the records that Vettel set during his time on the grid.
Only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have more wins than the Dutchman, although Vettel is still nine pole positions ahead of his successor at Red Bull [57 vs. 48].
The first time Verstappen battled for the title was against Hamilton back in 2021.
It was Vettel’s penultimate season on the grid, and racing for Aston Martin, he was able to observe one of the sport’s most fascinating rivalries from a distance.
When asked in a press conference at the end of the season, via Sky Sports, whether he had any advice for Verstappen, Vettel said: No advice! “Obviously, I didn’t succeed; Lewis beat me, so it’s better not to give him any advice!
“I guess he wants to succeed. It’s a long year, there are a lot of races, so I don’t know, it doesn’t work like this. I’m not giving him any advice.”
Vettel quickly realised just how talented Verstappen was, and now the 28-year-old is starting to take on the same level of responsibility as the German.
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