“Sometimes winning is easy”

Max Verstappen (Netherlands, 25 years old) is the greatest talent that has emerged from Formula 1 in the last times. The precocious star ushered in the dominant champion with a turning point, the 2021 season: winning both Hamilton and Mercedes in the prime of both is only up to wand-touched guys. His current contract links him to Red Bull until 2028 and he is the highest paid on the grid. The two-time champion is transparent, he says things clearly. Sincerity is appreciated when he praises Alonso and when he omits those same compliments towards other champions. If he has a reputation for being surly, that is not the case in this interview, which he arrives at with his best face. Something helps the breeze that runs through the imposing hospitality of Red Bull in the port of Monte Carlo, and the hot sun that has evaporated the rains of the previous hour. She greets and speaks of heaven: “I hope the weather stays like this for the next few days.”

“Don’t you want rain on Sunday?”

—Perhaps the people who see it on television, yes. But to ride, better dry.

—Especially for those who start from pole position…

—Yes, last year there was a lot of rain.

—Is this Red Bull the best car you’ve ever driven?

I have driven many very good cars. With these regulations, yes, it is the best car I have driven in terms of balance. But at the end of 2019, or also in 2021, I had a very good car. In terms of competitiveness, yes, compared to the other teams it is the best car.

—Most F1 drivers hope to one day get into a car that can win one week and the other as well. How does it feel when you have one?

—It’s what you hope will happen to you sometime in your career, what you work so hard for. It is satisfying, of course, but in the end your job as a driver is the same. Even if you have a dominant car, you take care of getting the most out of every detail to be as fast as possible. It’s better once you get on, but the rest of the time you keep working just as hard to get better.

—How much responsibility does the pilot have in such a strong Red Bull?

—In the end you trust the engineers a lot and work to optimize it.

—It is in the nature of F1 that there is a dominant car, but people may think that Verstappen always wins because he has the best car…

—But look at all the years of Formula 1. From 2000 to 2004 you had Ferrari, then two years of Renault. Then there was some battle between McLaren and Ferrari and from there, Red Bull dominance, Mercedes dominance. Now we are ahead again. There is always one dominant car, it is in the nature of F1 and it has been much more worrying in the past, if you look at the 1980s or 1990s, sometimes they doubled the entire grid. I think it’s getting better. The problem is that when you change the rules every four or five years, it creates a very big disadvantage. And by the time the differences close again, F1 decides to make other new rules and the gaps open up again. The rules should be more stable so all teams can get closer over the years. Perhaps it is what should be done now, more years with this regulation to allow the grid to be tightened. The rules are more limited already, there’s little that can be done on the aerodynamics so I’m hoping people will get closer faster than in the past.

“Does it seem easy to win?”

-Sometimes yes sometimes no (series). It depends on the weekend. For example at Spa last year, when you put the car on the track and it’s already incredibly fast from the start…

-It was perfect…

—But that doesn’t happen that often, usually you have to work quite a bit to make it perfect. Some big prizes come out better than others.

—There are Max and Checo. And Alonso third…

“The thirty-third!” I hope it arrives soon.

“In Monaco?”

—I know that Fernando thinks that here he has the opportunity to do it and, honestly, I would love to see Fernando win. He should have won a lot more races than he has and he should have won a lot more titles than he has. Fernando is very good. He is still showing it, he is 41 years old and it is crazy to see him still at this level. I have a lot of respect for Fernando. When I was younger and followed Formula 1, he no longer had the best car, in the Ferrari years, but still he fought for the title only because of his driving level, or because of how he positioned himself in the first round.

Did you see him on television?

-Clear. He is a fighter. He will never give up. He is a very tough opponent.

Is he a rival for the title?

-Not for now. I think his car is very good, but not at the level of ours. Although maybe this weekend they will have a good chance to take pole position or win the race, who knows.

—Do you see similarities between their sports careers?

-I guess so. It’s funny that Fernando drove with my father, it’s incredible how long it takes. And he is possibly the most trusted pilot.

What do you value in a pilot?

“What he was saying. Fernando is a fighter, he never gives up. He is disciplined. He loves to compete and he is a pure, natural talent. He gets in any car and he’s fast. F1, Resistance, it doesn’t matter. That shows his natural talent.

—When you see Fernando’s example, are you afraid that one day it will be your turn to get into a slower car and not be able to fight for the results you deserve?

—Well, they are the victories that you deserve or the ones that touch you, sometimes this happens and unfortunately for Fernando it has been like that for many years. He didn’t have the car when he did have the capacity. That is the danger of Formula 1. I hope we can be in front for a long time.

—Will you be here when you are 40 years old?

“Yes, but possibly on the yacht.” watching the race (laughs).

Not in the car…

-I would say not. But never say never. I think I’ll be on the boat having a drink.

—Alonso and Hamilton said that at their age…

—I already have many plans that I want to do outside of Formula 1, but we will see. If I have a competitive car it will be very difficult to say goodbye to this sport.

—What is it that you don’t like about F1? The calendar, the events?

—The time you spend beyond the time you spend in the car. You travel a lot, you have a lot of commitments throughout the year and you know where you have to be at all times, when as a driver what I like is to race. It’s what I did when I was little, what I’m passionate about, but you know that in F1 everything around it is part of the sport. It is the least positive. Ideally, I would just pilot. But it is not possible.

—What else can someone who won the most spectacular season in memory, 2021, achieve in F1?

“Try to do something even better.” I know it’s unrealistic, but I want to try.

—Have you ever felt the same tension again, the same nerves as in the last races of 2021?

-No not at all. 2021 was also my first option to win a title. I knew I had to make everything perfect. It’s the most intense I’ve ever felt, fighting every weekend. Now I am much more relaxed. But I want to do more. Past experiences help.

—When fighting against people like Lewis or Fernando, do you feel the experience in wheel to wheel?

—Experienced pilots, and especially world champions, are intelligent. Fernando is very intelligent. You can see it with the little movements of him, how he positions the car. He knows what he does.

—How will your sports career be after Formula 1?

I want to do other things. Endurance. The IndyCar not so much. But from the rest, I would like to try to win other things. Rallys or Dakar? My father does rallies right now, but in my case he would do it on a closed circuit, in the style of rallycross that seems safer. When I see the accidents between trees it seems very risky and something more dangerous than Formula 1. I will not consider it for now.

—How much time a day do you spend thinking about driving, outside of F1?

At home, not so much. Or not Formula 1. I think of other things.

-Good luck.

-Thank you!