Although Max Verstappen has always had the talent to be one of the best drivers in F1, another key reason he has been successful is his mindset. The Dutchman has always had the desire to be the best and seldom gets emotional over his achievements.
He stated in a recent interview that while he is proud of his achievements, there is no need for him to show off to the world. Instead, he believes that remaining committed to performing at the same level over and over again is the reason why he has been able to achieve continuous success.
Speaking on the Red Bulletin, he said, “I’m happy, but I don’t need to show the world I’m happy. I’m happy for the people around me and that I delivered, and that’s the most important thing. I don’t need to be a showman, jumping around like crazy or running around with flags. I’m just not like that as a person“.
However, Verstappen too admitted that some wins are more emotional than others. This was evident at the 2024 Emilia Romagna GP.
After struggling throughout the three practice sessions, the reigning champion put together a magical lap during the qualifying session to grab the pole position. He carried over this form to the main race as well as he fiercely defended against Lando Norris to win.
Even before the start of the 2024 season, Verstappen ruled out a repeat of Red Bull’s unprecedented dominance that they achieved in 2023. The assessment did not land far from the truth as teams like Ferrari and McLaren emerged as worthy contenders right from the beginning of the season.
With back-to-back wins in the latest fixtures, Mercedes too has started to catch up. This could threaten the Dutchman and his team’s dominance this year.
Moreover, even McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has begun to fancy his chances against Verstappen this year in only his second F1 season. The Aussie driver intends to use his ‘mystery’ to the best of his advantage to get the better of the reigning champion.
Speaking with NOS, Piastri said, “I have not come across Verstappen on the track very often because he is so dominant. I know he fights hard, but I will not avoid that. I want to beat everyone. Max knows very little about me and that can be an advantage.”
