Relaxed and philosophical Red Bull driver tells Giles Richards about his competitive spirit, learning to understand losing and the satisfaction of victory
Verstappen had fought hard all season, a trait his younger self would have found all too familiar. He made his F1 debut in 2015 aged 17 and is in his eighth F1 season. He smiles when asked to recall when he first felt that imperative to win.
With Hamilton’s Mercedes off the pace, Verstappen has found himself in a new fight, with a resurgent Ferrari in the hands of Charles Leclerc. But Ferrari’s recent mechanical failures have been costly and Leclerc trails him by 43 points. Verstappen has known and raced Leclerc since they were 12-year-olds in karting. Leclerc had said their rivalry on track reached the stage where “we hated each other at one point because very often it didn’t end in the best way possible”. Leclerc says the pair have grown up a lot since then and so far the racing has been more civilised than it was with Hamilton. Verstappen suggests that their past has led to an on-track understanding he did not share with the British driver.
These are traits recognised by Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, who believes the title has made him a more formidable opponent. “He’s definitely built on his experience from last year,” says Horner. “You can see that having won that world championship, he’s just driving with even more maturity.”