Drama killer

 Max Verstappen wrapped up his third straight Formula 1 title over the weekend, concluding it with yet another victory in a season that seems to have been wall-to-wall victories.

That was the good news, at least for Verstappen and his Red Bull team.

The bad news?

The bad news was that his sheer excellence -- call  him Mr. Drama Killer -- turned the 2023 campaign into the most paint-drying-est borefest it's been in some time. Which is saying something considering how much of a borefest it almost always is.

I mean, for awhile there you had Michael Schumacher and Ferrari winning every Grand Prix and then you had Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes winning seven straight F1 titles, and now here comes Verstappen and Red Bull with three in a row. And this season was the biggest injection of novocaine yet.

Between May and September, after all, no one except Max Verstappen won a Grand Prix. He reeled off 10 straight wins over the summer months, and at one point led 248 consecutive laps. That means between the Miami Grand Prix in May and the Austrian Grand Prix in July, no one but Max Verstappen led a single lap in F1 competition.

His win in Qatar yesterday was his 14th in 17 Grand Prix this season; with five Grand Prix left on the school he should easily break his single-season record of 15 wins, which he set just last year. The Blob and math have never been more than nodding acquaintances, but that adds up to 29 victories in a bit less than two seasons.

Not even weather can stop him, it seems. He led from the jump yesterday in heat so oppressive one driver (Logan Sargeant) had to retire with 17 laps to run, another (Alex Albon) was treated for extreme heat exposure and yet another (Esteban Ocon) actually vomited inside his helmet. Several other drivers reported nearly passing out in cockpit temperatures that reportedly soared well over 100 degrees.

Verstappen, meanwhile, routinely sailed on, winning by almost five seconds.

And now for the really bad news: Verstappen is still only 26 years old. And he just turned 26 less than a month ago.

Which means Mr. Drama Killer's spree may be just beginning.