Max Verstappen says he is torn between wanting a closer field to make for a more exciting Formula 1 season, and being keen to continue his own dominance.
The Dutchman won 19 of the 22 races last year on his way to a third consecutive drivers’ championship, in one of the most dominant displays from a single driver and team in terms of results. Verstappen wants to keep adding to his records but admits it would be better for the sport as a whole if there was a closer season this year.
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“Yes and no,” Verstappen said of his desire for a more competitive season. “I mean, I like to win races of course, like we have done last year, but I think for the sport as a whole of course you want more teams at the front. We’ve had some decent races, but yeah, I think naturally if you keep the regulations the same for a while, then everyone gets a bit closer.
“It’s hard to tell in terms of how competitive everyone is going to be. I think you do see a bit of a trend between teams, how everything is designed a bit more, but also a few little interesting bits, front wing related stuff. But again people that launch the car, they’re not showing everything, so we have to wait until we are in Bahrain to really see the proper car.”
Despite the speculation regarding team principal Christian Horner’s future overshadowing Red Bull’s pre-season preparations so far, Verstappen insists it hasn’t been a distraction for him and that the atmosphere within the team remains positive.
“Everyone is actually very motivated again,” he said. “Of course we are very proud of what we have achieved last year, in the years before, but we are also very proud of this car so far, in terms of the development. And we’re just looking forward to start the season and hopefully try to fight for wins again.
“From my side I am very focused on my own performance to get ready, to be fit, to be ready to drive the car, to be discussing things with the engineers, what you want to do.
“Plus my life is not only F1, when I’m at home I prefer not to think about F1 too much outside of my scheduled training. There are a lot of things going on in the background for me also, what I want to do in the future, also from the virtual side of things, that I’m working on, so I’m busy enough at home.”