Imagine an F1 record. It is very possible that Max Verstappen broke it en route to his third straight world title.
The Dutch driver set a new winning record (19 wins out of 22 races), the winning percentage of 86.36 is also a record. Verstappen became the first driver to lead more than 1,000 laps in a season – he led 1,003 laps – leading 75.54 percent of the races for the entire season. Yes, that’s a new record.
Verstappen became the first driver in history to win ten consecutive GP races. The Red Bull driver was also the first to finish on the podium 21 times in one season and to win 12 races from pole position in one season.
As the icing on the cake, he broke his own points record by collecting 575 MM points.
The figures above “are crazy”, admits Verstappen in an interview with Urheilu, adding that they had a “crazy year”.
He gives credit to the work done by Red Bull and says he misses driving the RB19 because “it’s the best car I’ve ever driven”.
– We will celebrate this year properly and after that we will start focusing on next year, because it would be really nice to repeat those numbers and even break them. I know it’s probably not possible, says Verstappen in an interview with Urheilu.
Winning and outspoken
Verstappen’s will to win was visible at the end of the season in Las Vegas, when he had to defeat his teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari Charles Leclerc during the last laps of the race.
Despite all the success already achieved, Verstappen can’t even imagine going into the race with anything but winning in mind.
– I’ve been like this since childhood. My mindset hasn’t changed since winning the championship. I try to do my best every race weekend. Winning is awesome. Why wouldn’t I want to win when I have the chance?
His relationship race engineer Giampiero Lambianen with has led to legendary radio debates because neither of them mince their words.
– You have to be able to accept criticism. Everything doesn’t always go perfectly and we don’t agree on everything, but that’s life.
Verstappen says right after that the atmosphere at Red Bull is great and he enjoys working in the team.
– I get to be myself here, which I think is also very important, Verstappen adds.
The importance of family
Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028. Verstappen will hardly be seen as a driver for another team in the future. He says that there is no other similar environment in Formula 1 as at Red Bull.
– I am very happy with the current situation. I don’t really think about riding in other stables.
Verstappen considers Red Bull his “second family”. The actual family members of the world champion, father If VerstappenMum Sophie Kumpen and sister Victor Jane Verstappen are regular guests at the games. Verstappen enjoys having his family around.
– Sure, I’ve only been alone in many races, but whenever they get to participate, I like it. It’s nice to chat with them and go out to eat, for example.
Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet is also a regular guest in the pit. Piquet is a three-time world champion Nelson Piquet’s daughter, so she knows what the life of a top driver is like.
– It probably helps that he perfectly understands the world I live in, because he has been a part of it since birth.
– When I get home, I can distance myself from the F1 world. It works for me. It’s nice to have a family waiting at home. Family helps to get away from stressful moments. I would like to have a big family and animals.
Verstappen says that at the moment they only have cats as pets, because cats can manage on their own. The Dutch driver “loves dogs”, but traveling with them is awkward.
Old school management style
Although Verstappen’s F1 career will last at least five more seasons, he admits that he wants to start his own team.
He is thinking about establishing a team in the GT series, where sports cars are driven.
– I wouldn’t necessarily drive myself, but I want to build something where I can help young talents. Not necessarily for formula one, but for motor racing, says Verstappen.
– People forget that there are many different categories in motorsport where you can have fun and make a living.
According to his own words, Verstappen would like to be a “no bullshit” boss. In this respect, he admits that he supports the so-called old school.
– It’s about performance, not how many likes we get on social media or how many followers we have. I just want to win because winning speaks for itself and that’s the most important thing for me.
According to Verstappen, the boss’s behavior is the key to the team’s success. At the end of the interview, he throws a small thorn in the direction of the competitors.
– It is very important! Even if you have all the money in the world, it will go down the drain if the team is mismanaged. I don’t want to name anyone, but this has happened to the big names in the pits and the trophies have changed to the back of the grid.
The story was translated from the English version by Joska Saarinen.