Champion's demeanor, but not your Red Bull
2024年對於維斯塔潘來說算不上是一個很順心的賽季。
2024 was a challenging season for Verstappen.
比起去年和前年一個人開著最快的賽車安靜的刷圈，今年他在中期面臨的壓力可是實打實的。面對著同隊隊友的疲軟無力，媒體的長槍短炮，與FIA不鳴則已一鳴驚人的“傑出處罰”，他卻依然拿出了作為世界冠軍的冠軍之姿、王者之態。
Compared to the previous two years, when he was driving the fastest car on the grid and effortlessly setting fastest laps, this year he faced significant pressure midway through the season. Despite his teammate's struggles, relentless media scrutiny, and the FIA's harsh penalty, Verstappen maintained the poise and regality of a world champion.
維斯塔潘四冠海報 | Max' 4 time world champion Posts
在這裡，恭喜馬克思·維斯塔潘加冕其第四冠，即2024賽季F1的車手世界冠軍！這個冠軍的含金量是毋庸置疑的，狠狠扇了那些質疑維斯塔潘自身實力的“黑子們”一巴掌。比起2021年的爭議判罰、2022年與2023年將奪冠全部歸功於紅牛的“火星車”，今年維斯塔潘拿出來的成績是閃耀且沒有一點可黑的。
Let's congratulate Verstappen on securing his fourth World Championship in 2024! The value of this victory is unquestionable, and it serves as a sharp rebuttal to those who doubted Verstappen’s abilities. In contrast to the controversial decisions of the FIA in 2021 and the overwhelming dominance of Red Bull’s cars in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Verstappen’s performance this year was exceptional and without blemish.
如今的勝利光環之下，又有誰還記得紅牛在九月份時的手足無措，面對邁凱倫後起之秀的趕超優勢，宣佈取消新加坡站及以後的所有特別塗裝，理由是特別塗裝的多餘油漆會導致賽車每圈損失0.003秒。
In the midst of his victory, who still remembers Red Bull’s panic and confusion in September? Faced with McLaren's rising challenge, Red Bull announced they would cancel all special liveries from the Singapore Grand Prix onward, citing the fact that the excess paint added to the car's weight, costing three thousandths of a second every lap.
新加坡大獎賽發車階段 | The starting in Singapore Grand Prix
既然RB20很顯然已經不再是最快的那輛車，那麼維斯塔潘是如何贏得這個世界冠軍的？
With the RB20 clearly no longer the fastest car, how did Verstappen win the championship?
自從邁阿密站邁凱倫帶來一系列升級後，紅牛RB20的絕對速度不敵邁凱倫MCL38。然而，維斯塔潘在賽季初始便充分發揮優勢，力爭每一個積分。在巴林站的開幕戰中，他奪得冠軍並刷新了最快圈速；在沙特站再次登上最高領獎臺；在日本鈴鹿和中國上海，他分別在衝刺賽和正賽中都獲得了冠軍，收穫了積分。儘管由於賽車液壓系統故障，維斯塔潘在澳大利亞站被迫退賽未能得分，但這顯然是車隊的技術問題。
Since McLaren introduced a series of upgrades at the Miami Grand Prix, the absolute speed of the Red Bull RB20 has been outpaced by the McLaren MCL38. However, Verstappen made the most of his early-season advantage, fighting for every point. In the Bahrain Grand Prix, he won the race and set the fastest lap. He claimed the top podium again in Saudi Arabia, and in Japan (Suzuka) and China (Shanghai), he secured the most points in both the Sprint and the main race. Despite being forced to retire in Australia due to a hydraulic system failure, preventing him from scoring, this was clearly a technical issue with the car.
但這些肯定也不算是紅牛的功勞，更多是維斯塔潘的個人能力。甚至紅牛自己也承認，他們賽車的研發方向自從23賽季的墨西哥站開始就出現了錯誤，但是由於維斯塔潘過於強大掩蓋了這一點，導致現在改進賽車變得很遲。
However, these achievements cannot be solely credited to Red Bull; they are more a result of Verstappen's personal ability. Even the Red Bull themselves admitted that their car development direction has been off since the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix. But Verstappen’s immense strength has masked this issue, making it difficult for the team to improve the car in time.
至少我們可以肯定一點，紅牛已經不再是那個冠軍之師了，今年WCC的歸屬對紅牛而言也僅有理論上的可能了。
But one thing is clear: Red Bull is no longer the dominant team it once was. As for the Constructors' Championship, their chances this year were purely theoretical.
👆截至拉斯維加斯大獎賽的車隊積分榜 | As of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the current standings in the Constructors' Championship
自從今年年初，克里斯蒂安·霍納的“性醜聞”事件被曝光後，紅牛內部的政治鬥爭似乎逐漸浮現在公眾視野，與之相伴的便是體育總監喬納森·惠特利宣佈離開紅牛，執掌奧迪；而艾德里安·紐維，傳奇的F1氣動大師，RB18與RB19的車輛總設計師，宣佈離隊並在不久後將加盟阿斯頓馬丁；抑或是維斯塔潘簽署的附加“馬爾科條款”才被紅牛高層所獲悉——似乎紅牛真的在走向分崩離析。
Since the "sexual scandal" involving Christian Horner broke earlier this year, internal political struggles within Red Bull have become increasingly visible. Jonathan Whitley, the team’s sporting director, left to join Audi, and Adrian Newey, the legendary F1 aerodynamicist behind the RB18 and RB19, announced he would be leaving to join Aston Martin. Perhaps the final straw was when Red Bull executives discovered the "Marko clause" Verstappen signed, which suggests that Red Bull might indeed be on the verge of disintegration.
艾德里安·紐維 | Adrian Newey at the Red Bull
紅牛曾被視為不可撼動的巨人：極具天賦的賽車手，速度快到獨一檔的賽車，恰到好處的進站與換胎策略，幾乎沒見過跌出2.8秒的進站換胎，一同奠定了紅牛在前兩個賽季拿下的雙料冠軍。
Red Bull was once an unshakable giant—driven by a supremely talented driver, a car with unmatched speed, a flawless pit stop strategy, and pit stops that were always under 2.8 seconds, all of which were key factors in their dual championships in the first two seasons.
然而今年則不盡於此了，奧地利站紅牛給維斯塔潘的6.5秒進站時間直接導致了諾里斯快速追上併發生雙車碰撞事故。
This year, however, things have changed. The 6.5-second pit stop during the Austrian Grand Prix allowed Norris to rapidly close the gap, ultimately resulting in a collision.
陌生的6.5秒換胎 | The 6.5-second pit stop by Red Bull during the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix
而在匈牙利站的41圈時，維斯塔潘自己都在Team Radio中吐槽，策略組居然眼睜睜看著自己被undercut。
In the 41st lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen voiced his frustration on the team radio—he was baffled as he watched his strategy group helplessly allow him to be undercut.
維斯塔潘在TR裡關於車隊策略的抱怨 | Max expressed his discontent about the team's decisions during the Hungarian Grand Prix
紅牛車隊不可撼動的神話隨著內部問題的浮現而被打破，但維斯塔潘卻是一個人撐著一整支車隊向前苦苦推進。
The myth of Red Bull’s invincibility has been shattered, yet Verstappen has continued to carry the team on his shoulders with relentless effort.
前兩年RB18與RB19的獨領風騷似乎讓人們忘記了維斯塔潘“塔炮”綽號的由來，那個在童話故事中總是飾演“壞人”的角色——對應到圍場裡——就是以強硬防守與超車聞名的維斯塔潘。而今年由於邁凱倫與法拉利車輛性能的提升，諾里斯積分也在逐漸逼近，那個大壞人維斯塔潘似乎又回來了。
The dominance of the RB18 and RB19 over the past two years made many forget the origin of Verstappen's "Mad Max" nickname. Known as the “villain” of F1, he built this reputation through aggressive defense and daring overtakes. With McLaren and Ferrari improving their cars this season and Norris steadily closing in on Verstappen’s points, the "villain" is back.
維斯塔潘與諾里斯的攻防瞬間 | Battle between Max and Lando
在今年的奧地利和墨西哥站，維斯塔潘為守住位置對諾里斯做出了“自殺式”防守， 展現出強大的決心。通過這些比賽，我們看到維斯塔潘不僅清楚瞭解自己賽車的極限，也深知賽車規則的底線。
This year’s Austrian and Mexican Grands Prix showcased Verstappen's fierce defensive maneuvers against Norris. It was clear that Verstappen understands not just his car’s limits, but also the limits of racing rules.
他對於賽會幹事20秒的處罰毫不意外，雖驚歎於罰時之長，但他早有心理預期，他寧可以不可能入彎的速度將正在和他纏鬥的諾里斯逼出賽道，接受罰時，也不允許諾里斯輕易在賽道上超過他以獲得更好的位置和更多的積分，在賽車明顯更慢的情況下，儘可能的及時止損，減慢諾里斯在積分榜上追趕的腳步。
When Verstappen received a 20-second penalty from race control, he wasn’t surprised. While the penalty’s duration was shocking, he had anticipated it. Verstappen willingly risked pushing Norris off track with an overly aggressive entry speed during their battle. He accepted the penalty, choosing not to let Norris overtake and gain a better position or more points. Even with a slower car, Verstappen did everything he could to minimize the damage and slow Norris’s climb in the standings.
墨西哥大獎賽上維斯塔潘的20秒罰時 | Max Verstappen's 20-second penalty at the Mexican Grand Prix
更不用說在巴西站，維斯塔潘在雨站中的出色表現，十七位發車並最終獲得冠軍，更是殺死了別人對其能力的一切質疑。
Not to mention his brilliant performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Verstappen started from 17th on the grid and won the race in wet conditions. This victory silenced any remaining doubts about his abilities.
其實，我依然對紅牛賽車明年的競爭力存有擔憂， 但我對維斯塔潘的個人表現毫不懷疑——看看他與隊友在同一輛RB20中的差距吧，這個差距甚至比今年的周冠宇和博塔斯還要大。
I’m still concerned about Red Bull’s competitiveness next year, but I have no doubts about Verstappen’s personal performance. Just look at the comparison between him and his teammate in the same RB20—the gap is even wider than the one between Zhou and Bottas this year.
圖片來源：F1，SkySports，PlanetF1，GettyImages