Max Verstappen considers whatever comes next in his Formula One career to be a “bonus” now that he’s won the World Championship.
Winning the Formula One World Championship in 2021 will be Max Verstappen’s “last achievement” in the sport.
At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Dutchman claimed his first championship in contentious circumstances.
Verstappen pitted for new Soft tyres five circuits from the end of the race, while competitor Lewis Hamilton continued out on old Hards.
The Safety Car was deployed with one lap remaining, and Verstappen and Hamilton engaged in a showdown. Verstappen took the lead and went on to win the race, as well as the championship, for the Red Bull driver.
Verstappen previously declared that winning the championship would have little impact on his life. This is a viewpoint that the new World Champion holds now that it has occurred.
“No, my life will not change now,” Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com.
“I’m of course very happy that I won the championship. It’s that final achievement that I wanted in Formula 1.
“Everything else that comes now is a bonus.”
“I learned about myself”
Verstappen confesses that the title struggle that took place during the 2021 season forced him to put in a high level of focus every weekend.
“I think, in general, the quality has been very high,” the 24-year-old said. “Set by myself and Lewis, of course.
“We have been pushing each other to the limit every single time. There have been quite some tough races, just physically, also, because you were just pushing flat out all the time.
“There is no lap to rest. Throughout the whole weekend, [in] qualifying, [in the] race, it was so important to always try and be perfect, which is very hard in Formula 1.
“There’s always some[thing like a] little tiny lock-up [that] can make a difference between P1 and P2. In the championship battle we had, that was massive, so the level of focus required was very high.”
Verstappen admits that the fight has helped him reach “new heights” as a driver.
“[I’ve had] new experiences, and again I learned more about myself, in a positive way luckily,” he explained.
“But yeah, clearly you keep on improving, that’s for sure.”
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