Max Verstappen almost completed the best comeback ever in Formula 1. Around the summer break, the title battle seemed to be over, but in the end Verstappen was only two points short in Abu Dhabi. The 28-year-old Dutchman had a fantastic second half of the season and came close to keeping Lando Norris from winning his first world title.
Verstappen was particularly notable in that title battle for his exceptionally relaxed attitude. If he won the title, it would be fantastic. And if not, life went on again. In any case, Verstappen was not playing an acting game, he now says.
“Not everyone can handle pressure equally well, that has to be something within you,” Verstappen says Formula 1 Magazine. “Many things can be learned, but some things really have to be in you, in terms of personality, and you cannot completely teach them.”
“For me, I think it’s the combination of innate and learned. From an early age it was always: Don’t whine too much, don’t complain too much, just go!”
Sleepless nights?
But is Verstappen always like this? “Dealing with disappointments is also part of that. I’m fairly level-headed anyway. I can put things in place quite quickly and not worry about them very much. I try to gain extra strength and motivation from both a victory and a disappointment, that is always the goal.”
“But I have to say, whether I have had a good or a bad race, I am almost always very neutral in my emotions. Both in the euphoria and in the negativity. That always keeps everything fairly simple and clear for me.”
Red Bull’s major problems did not have much impact on Verstappen. “Well, not that much actually. I’m also busy with so many other things outside Formula 1. So when things don’t go well or even bad in the race and I come home in the evening, I’m already busy with other things in my head.”
“My whole life is not just about Formula 1. And that makes me fairly neutral and I can always quickly put everything that happens into perspective.”
Verstappen is also not concerned about bad results. “No, not really. When I wake up, I think about it. And then I analyze in my head what we can do and what we should look at, but I try to lose as little energy as possible. Because lying awake and worrying doesn’t do you any good. Then I prefer to sleep well.”
