The 2023 Japanese Grand Prix witnessed Red Bull Racing lifting what was the sixth constructors’ championship title of their career. And now, Red Bull’s greatest treasure Max Verstappen is on the verge of bringing the drivers’ championship fight to an early closure over the forthcoming weekend in Qatar.
The Dutchman is already miles ahead of the rest of the pack and needs just five points in the sprint to secure his third F1 title on the trot. Hence, amidst such an incredible feat around the corner, how excited is the protagonist? Interestingly enough, despite the impending glory days, the Red Bull prodigy doesn’t seem as excited and opined that he doesn’t care about when or where he lifts the title.
Heading into the 2023 F1 season, there was a sense of clarity over the teams’ pecking order. While Red Bull seemed fairly stronger than the rest of the pack, the margins were smaller compared to 2022. Hence, one wrong move and the Milton Keynes would find themselves staring at a bleak season with poor results. However, surprisingly enough, the reality scripted an entirely different story.
Adrian Newey’s mastery, along with Christian Horner‘s leadership and of course, Verstappen’s impeccable race-craft, led the defending champions to dominate the entire grid by a sound margin. Apart from the odd Singapore GP weekend, Red Bull were untouched by their rivals, as Verstappen continued to thwart them from achieving a victory.
Max Verstappen doesn’t think about F1 championship victories
When asked about his inevitable world championship victory this season, Verstappen admitted that he doesn’t spend too much time thinking about it. Instead, the Dutchman is focused on maximizing his on-track performance and bringing about consistently strong results for the team.
“No emotion. If it happens on Saturday, Sunday, or the week after, I know that it’s coming. But it’s not something that I’m thinking about too much,” he said according to RacingNews365. “Maybe it’s a good thing? A good night out. Might be a bit slower on the reaction time for the lights [on Sunday]. But for me, I don’t really think about it.
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“No emotion. If it happens on Saturday, Sunday, or the week after, I know that it’s coming. But it’s not something that I’m thinking about too much.”⁰⁰“Maybe it’s a good thing? A good night out. Might be a… pic.twitter.com/Nx1ZOKh7oa
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) October 1, 2023
“We’re just experiencing a really amazing year as a team. Also, I don’t care where I win it. It’s not about ‘You need to win it five races in advance’ or the last one. I don’t know. It’s just not something that I’m really thinking about.” Overall, the entire grid, including his own teammate, Sergio Perez, has yielded with over five races to spare. But, how much longer can Verstappen keep up with his astounding dominance?