This year, Max Verstappen often didn't have the best car – but he will surely have been the best driver.
The Dutchman has been in top form for most of the season, always driving at the limit of his Red Bull's potential.
“I know that on the track, if you want to win, if you want to be champion, you have to be at the limit” he testifies on this subject for the BBC.
If he finishes ahead of Lando Norris or if he does not lose more than two points against the McLaren driver, Max Verstappen will therefore be titled this weekend in Las Vegas. Will he think about it every moment on the long, floodlit straights of Vegas?
“Of course, the championship is in the back of my mind, naturally”he confides. “But I will always try to get the best result possible, and then see what is achievable. »
“I demand a lot from myself”he explains. “I always try to get the best possible result. I hate making mistakes. I put this pressure on myself every weekend. If you want to win a championship, you can't afford bad results. »
This title of Max Verstappen, however, was punctuated by some controversies, in Austria or in Austin, notably during his battles on the track against Lando Norris. In Mexico, the FIA then issued a 'stop' to the Dutchman, penalizing him twice for 10 seconds, for maneuvers deemed far too aggressive.
The FIA had even summoned the drivers to Mexico, to change the rules of on-track struggles, with Max Verstappen clearly in his sights (he took advantage of a rule which allowed a driver in a position on the inside of the corner not to leave any space to his rival on the outside.)
Did the Red Bull driver feel directly targeted by these actions of the FIA?
“Honestly, I don't care, because I race according to what I think is possible and allowed by the rules”Verstappen affirmed. “And if the rules are written like that, I’ll use them.” »
But isn't his style of defense too aggressive?
“When I race against someone, they won't be able to overtake me on the outside. That’s how I grew up competing. »
“If it had happened to me the other way around, I don't think I would have been the person to complain as much. I would have just thought, “OK, if these are the rules, this is how we do it” instead of shouting that we need to change the rules. »
“Some drivers are just a little more passive in the race, it's just the way they are. And I know that in F1 I can't hang out outside because they will push me out. It's a racing instinct. »
For him, the problem also comes from modern circuits, with large asphalt run-off areas and the absence of gravel.
“When the track itself is the limit, no one tries to overtake on the outside. »
