F1 world champion Max Verstappen says drivers unprepared for a fierce and long-term title fight should quit F1.
Max Verstappen, who demonstrated overwhelming strength in the second half of the 2022 F1 season, won the second driver’s title at the F1 Japan GP (Round 19) in October, ending the title fight early.
It was in stark contrast to the success of Max Verstappen’s first F1 title in 2021. The title fight, which was entangled with the final round of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, ended in a controversial situation when the FIA irregularly handled the restart of the safety car just before the end of the race.
Max Verstappen famously said following his 2021 title fight with Lewis Hamilton that he can’t face the stress of such a hard-fought battle all the time.
“Certainly you can’t see drama like that every year. It’s not good for me and it’s not healthy for anyone in the team. For both teams,” Verstappen said in an interview with The Guardian. Told.
But with F1 gearing up for a 24-race calendar for 2023, Verstappen is aware that stress and tension for drivers might rise.
But Verstappen said he was not worried regarding complications from the increased challenge and said he needed to prepare for greater difficulties.
“If you’re not ready, why don’t you stop now?” said Verstappen.
“I think we are all racers and we love racing.”
“Obviously, it’s great to have a season like last year, but it’s also great to have a season like this year. It’s going to be very difficult to do it every year like last year.”
“But it’s also something that doesn’t happen very often in F1, so it should be fine.”
Max Verstappen’s closest rival Charles Leclerc has agreed he has no choice but to prepare for a bigger and more intense season ahead.
“I think we are all ready for a longer season,” said Leclerc.
“I hope it’s tight. It’s always nice to fight until the end, but I hope I’m ready for more races and longer battles.”
Red Bull have dominated over the RB18’s weight handicap this year, but Verstappen doesn’t think the margin to his rivals will carry over into 2023.
“I think it will be closer,” said Verstappen.
“People understand the car better and over time all the teams will get closer.”
“We know that over the winter we really don’t want to keep pushing and continue to find performance. Not just performance, but next year the tires will change a bit, so maybe we need to understand the tires more. Let’s see how we manage all that.”
Category: F1 / Max Verstappen / red bull
