Max Verstappen: ‘I’m not thinking about winning seven titles, we’ll see what happens year by year’

Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), outstanding leader of the Formula 1 World Championship and who is one step away from winning his third title in a row, something that, apart from a superlative surprise, will happen this weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix – the seventeenth of the year, – is on track Lusail indicated that “now” he is not thinking about the possibility of equaling the seven crowns that make up the historical record shared by the German Michael Schumacher and the Englishman Lewis Hamilton, but that it will be seen “from year to year”.

“I’m not thinking about it, to be honest. We’ll see from year to year what will happen,” he answered this Thursday at a press conference held in the premises of the Austrian team – which was rehabilitated two weeks ago, to Japan, World Cup constructors – inside the track on the outskirts of Doha, the great sports idol of the Netherlands, who could mathematically be a three-time world champion this Saturday, because sixth place in the sprint race would be enough for him. .

‘Mad Max’, who just turned 26 years old, has 177 points ahead of the second overall, his teammate, the Mexican Sergio Pérez (400 compared to 223); and needs just three points to secure a third consecutive title. He could be champion on Saturday, even without scoring in a reduced race: as long as ‘Checo’ does not finish in the top three.

Verstappen joked about how he would face Sunday’s race if he leaves the World Championship settled on Saturday, after a shortened test – a third of the long distance -. “Saturday night (today) can be difficult, but we’ll figure something out. And we’ll see what happens on Sunday, because we’ll celebrate something, it’s clear; but without going too crazy. We want to win on Sunday, too. We’ll see how everything goes “, He said. dutch star.

Asked if he had ever competed after having a good time, he replied that “even if it had ever happened, I wouldn’t say it here; of course not,” prompting laughter from most of the event’s attendees. media that took place on a track located a few kilometers from the stadium of the same name that less than a year ago hosted the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: in which Lionel Messi’s Argentina was defeated (on penalties) by Kylian Mbappé’s France.

The Dutch super-predator, who has triumphed in F1 48 times – thirteen of them this year – will, if he wins again this Sunday, be only two away from the fourth historic victory mark, held by the French four-time world champion Alain Prost, who sounded the Marseillaise 51 times.