Verstappen: Most important is to beat your teammate

In a wide-ranging interview with Formule1, Verstappen shed light on his modus operandi: "Other things are important to me. For example, you always have to beat your teammate. That is and remains the most important thing. And that's going quite well, yes.”

"Quite well!" is a modest, tongue-in-cheek no doubt, understatement from the Champ as the F1 world questions Sergio Perez's role as his Red Bull teammate. The Mexican veteran is in dire straits as he tries to come to terms with Verstappen's constant benchmark-raising performances. Points-wise, Max is on 400 points with 13 wins, Checo on 223 with two wins after 16 GPs.

Last weekend, amid Perez's worst weekends in an F1 car, Verstappen sealed the team's 2023 F1 constructors' championship title with a dominant victory, all on his own as the #11 Red Bull car was parked in the garage, with a DNF thanks to its driver's shenanigans on that Sunday.

In fact, the driver of the #1 car has done enough for the team to not even count Perez's points haul, with Max's 400 points outscoring second-placed Mercedes (305) points to date. But it's a two-car team scoring championship.

Perez can take comfort in the fact that he has been by far the most successful Red Bull has placed next to Verstappen. Indeed they are heading for their first ever one-two in the Drivers' standings ever, provided Perez keeps it on the black stuff.

The Red Bull teammates that came and went were Daniel Ricciardo who chickened out of a proper fight with Max. He was followed by a shortlived spell by Pierre Gasly who was sent back to the junior team before he hurt himself chasing the other Blue car. And finally, Alex Albon was sent packing after a season and a bit. Perez was next.

As for the 2023 F1 Drivers' title in this instance, Verstappen aims to put an end to a long-ago foregone conclusion, by sealing the deal on Saturday at the Qatar Grand Prix. In the Sprint Race.

In his RBR media preview of the weekend at the MotoGP famed Lusail Circuit, Verstappen made clear his intent: "The Drivers' Championship can be won during the Sprint race on Saturday so that is our main aim."

That Verstappen would become a tiple-F1 World Champ this year was obviousl many moons ago. This site bestowed him the accolade first of all. After witnessing his mastery at the Canadian Grand Prix, there was no doubt.

That it will be official on Saturday remains to be seen. But the chances are high it will happen as all he needs do is finish sixth in the Sprint Race, no matter where his closest challenger, and teammate, Sergio Perez finishes.

With his form at staggering heights, be sure Verstappen has two goals for Saturday and Sunday, P1 and P1: "It feels good to be heading to Qatar with the Constructors' Championship secured. The track there is really fun to drive, although it's going to be a tough weekend for all of us as it's so hot there. The temperatures will definitely make it interesting."

As for the season's fourth, of six, F1 Sprint Races, Verstappen added: "This weekend is also a Sprint race so we need to make sure we learn as much as we can from the practice session on Friday. The Drivers' Championship can also be won during the Sprint race on Saturday so that is our main aim.

Already Vertappen claimed the most Grand Prix wins in a row record, with the remarkable streak of ten he had before the Singapore hiccup. At 26, Verstappen is two victories short of 50 P1s in F1, a Triple World Champion. How important are statistics to the Red Bull ace?

In the abovementioned Formule1 interview, Max said of the numbers: “Of course, I know where most of the drivers are and what records there are, but really, I don't really care about it. Records also have to do with the luck of having a good car at your disposal for a longer period of time.

"If I have a very good car for seven or eight years, I know that a number of records will still be broken. But ultimately those records don't interest me. It doesn't matter to me whether I break many or few records. I didn't get into F1 to break records, I got into F1 to win. The first is often a consequence of the second.”

Verstappen also shied away from comparisons of F1 drivers from different eras, such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher: "Nowadays there are more races than before. And like I said, you depend on the material. I consciously put it into perspective."

Which inevitably led to talk of his own longevity and interest in F1. Verstappen explained: "I am happy that I am in a position where I can make those future decisions myself. My goal was always to become a world champion and win races.

"That has all already been achieved. I've said it before: but everything that comes next is actually just a bonus," that bonus, of being F1 title number three for Max Emilian Verstappen.