Some drivers like
Charles Leclerc might be keen to hear whether
Max Verstappen has some secret to converting poles into race wins, and the Dutchman recently spoke out.
Max Verstappen, who,
not long ago, revealed he would not be in Formula One in ten year's time, dominated the 2023 season by winning 19 out of 22 races.
During the last race of the season, the triple World Champion started from pole position. By winning the race, Verstappen added the 15th consecutive win after starting from pole. Asked how he does it, Verstappen responded to
Blick:
"There is no secret, it is simply the great desire to race, the passion for the fight, then the satisfaction when you successfully pass the first corner."
F1 fans didn't see Verstappen on TV screens multiple times throughout the 2023 season as he raced so far ahead of everybody that there was nothing exciting to show.
Many of the Dutchman's competitors knew as soon as he was the first into turn one, the race was basically over, and they could only watch him disappear into the distance.
On the other hand, the 26-year-old also had a few races from the back of the grid as he started from P15 in
Saudi Arabia to finish P2 or from P9 to P1 in
Miami.
Asked whether he gets more satisfaction from leading the whole race in the front, like in
Abu Dhabi, or from fighting from the back of the grid, like in
Jeddah, Verstappen responded:
"That is always different. Of course I love to dominate the races. But that also means fighting with myself. I don't always look at the race status, I just try to do everything better in the cockpit, to understand or improve things."
The
Red Bull Racing team has been able to focus on the development of RB20 (next year's car) earlier than its rivals, and it seems like we have a decent chance of seeing yet another dominant season in 2024.
Would you like to see Verstappen always lead or fight for his race wins with other drivers like
Lando Norris,
Lewis Hamilton, or
Fernando Alonso?