Max Verstappen insists that he doesn’t need competition in Formula 1 to “get the best out of myself” after wrapping up his third World Championship in Qatar.
Verstappen’s status as a three-time champion was confirmed during Saturday’s Sprint Race at the Lusail circuit, crowning the joint earliest title win in F1 history.
The Dutchman proceeded to claim his 14th victory of the year on Sunday, bringing him to within one of the record number he achieved last year with five rounds still remaining.
Verstappen echoed Red Bull team boss Christian Horner’s comments, contending that he has simply become a more rounded driver with his accumulative experience.
“I keep trying to improve and of course I don’t necessarily think I’ve become a faster driver, but you have more experience in the car you grow as a driver and a person in life, all these things compared to my first season in F1 they help you a lot dealing with every pressure situation through a weekend, something thrown at you in difficult conditions, and in the end it’s about trying to deliver every single weekend,” he explained.
Verstappen has not been headed at the top of the standings since winning the season-opening race in Bahrain, with Red Bull’s dominance ensuring only his team-mate has been able to regularly compete against him.
However, Sergio Perez has endured a nightmare year beyond triumphing in two of the first four races, slipping a seismic 209 points behind Verstappen in the standings.
But Verstappen downplays that he requires competition – either externally or internally – to deliver his best, adding that he always applies pressure on himself to perform.
“Well of course for F1 you’d like to see more competition, but for me, I don’t need another team or team-mate to get the best out of myself, I’m putting pressure on myself to be the best I can, that’s what I enjoy and the only thing I really look at,” he said.
Asked to pinpoint his greatest win this year, Verstappen noted his recovery drives from down the order in Miami and Belgium, along with the Dutch and Japanese Grands Prix.
“I think my win in Miami [from 10th on the grid] I really enjoyed. Spa [from 14th]. Zandvoort [changeable conditions]. But also Suzuka winning the Constructors for the team there was also fantastic, difficult to pick one, to be honest.”
Despite having sealed the championship, Verstappen declares that he will continue to chase each remaining victory on the table.
Pressed on whether his approach would be more relaxed now his lead is unassailable, the Red Bull ace responded: “Not really. I mean for example today [Saturday] I knew I only needed 3 points to win the championship, but I still want to win, same tomorrow, next race I’ll try and win again.
“I know people around are catching up a bit so here and there it becomes quite tight, but the mindset is the same, not like you go more risky in any battle, think I’m happy what I’m doing.”
Verstappen has joined an esteemed list as only the sport’s 11th three-time title winner.
He is also now only one win away from hitting the half-century mark for race victories and could surpass both Alain Prost (51) and Sebastian Vettel (53) for third position on the all-time list before 2024.
At 26, asked what he could still go on and achieve, Verstappen considered: “Depends a lot also on the package right that’s how F1 works. Personally, I’m still young even though I’m already in F1 for a while, quite a few more years in me to operate at my best.
“Yeah we’ll see how long that is to be honest, I think it’s more how long I want to be here, that’s different.”
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