Max Verstappen unperturbed: ‘If you win one or seven titles, it’s the same thing’

Having achieved his ultimate goal of winning one title, Max Verstappen has said he would feel no different were he to win seven championships.

Verstappen confirmed the third title of his career at the weekend when Sergio Perez’s early exit from the Qatar sprint made it no longer mathematically possible for any driver to catch the Dutchman at the top of the table.

He moved alongside the likes of Jack Brabham, Nelson Piquet, Sir Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna but Verstappen is not fussed if he does not add any more titles to his trophy cabinet.

One or seven all the same to Max Verstappen

Given he is 26 and already has three titles to his name, there has been plenty of discussion regarding whether Verstappen will go on to match the record tally of seven set by both Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

But one man who seemingly does not care if hits that mark is Verstappen himself who described the “ultimate goal” as something he has already achieved.

“When I started racing, of course, the ultimate goal was to win a title,” Verstappen told Channel 4. “That’s incredible because at the end of the day, if you win one or seven, it’s the same thing.

“So there is no real extra value for me to it. But of course, it’s nice now that we are in this winning streak and you keep on winning, that’s exactly what I’m here for. But also what I grew up with, like winning, you know, that’s what defines the sport. I just tried to enjoy the moment and try to do it as long as I can.”

With that ultimate goal now achieved, Verstappen was asked what his target was and he was unable to pick a single one.

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“I live day to day,” the Dutchman said. “Of course, I’m enjoying the moment and of course, again, next year we’ll find out how competitive the whole package is.

“I’ve got a couple years left anyway on my contract, I want to do the best I can and from there onwards, we’ll see. I think it’s very important that every time that you wake up, you look in the mirror, and you can tell yourself, I’m fully committed to giving it everything I have, because you know, you’re away from home a lot. You’re travelling a lot, you’re not spending a lot of time with your family and friends.

“So as long as I can say to myself, it’s worth it to go out there and do the best I can, I will stay in Formula 1. I’ve never been like, I need to win seven, eight titles. There is no real number for me because you’re so dependent also on the package that you get every single year.”

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