Max Verstappen is the defending Formula 1 champion, and he's now on the verge of making it two titles in two years.

While he may have won his first in controversial fashion, he has more than proven he's the best driver on the planet this season, but just how has he managed to get there?

While it's easy to suggest that Verstappen won his first world title controversially, the part that often gets forgotten about is that he had to be pushing rival Lewis Hamilton all the way and taking it to the final race of the season to be in contention, and this is where is really begins for the Dutchman. Consistency has been and remains one of his biggest assets, which we have seen once again this term.

Without consistency in sport, especially elite sport, you're not going to get anywhere fast. But since the Dutchman arrived on the scene in 2015, he's developed a knack for being consistent. And this has seen his career move along an upward curve, and it's still going to this day. He headed into this season as the defending champion and the favourite to win the title, and if you check the odds on Verstappen winning the Drivers Championship this season, you'll see he's retained the favourite tag, and this will apply to next season too.

If Verstappen didn't have the consistency, it wouldn't be possible, but other elements go into making the twenty-four-year-old the driver that he is today. In any top sport, you're going to need the mindset, but maybe in F1, even more so, where the cars are moving so quickly, and decisions have to be made in a split second. To get to where Verstappen is, it takes a seriously strong mentality and one that can handle unreal pressure.

And it's not just in-race action where a strong mindset is going to be called on per se. For example, when you're involved in a competitive title race against a fellow driver such as Lewis Hamilton, it's not just a battle on the track. It's a battle of the minds too. And, heading into this season, it was a new type of pressure for Verstappen to deal with, as he knew he was the man to beat, but he's more than lived up to expectations and channelled the pressure into what should be a successful title defence.

Finally, another reason why Verstappen has climbed to the summit is, of course, his team. What the Dutchman has with Red Bull is a reliable team that is consistent, too, very much like him. We've seen this season how Ferrari's failures have led to Charles Leclerc being unable to sustain a title challenge. But, on the other side of the coin, Red Bull have been consistent throughout, especially with their game plans, and this has allowed Verstappen to flourish once again. It's the final piece in the jigsaw.