Max Verstappen claims he is the man Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko wants to see repeat the period of Formula 1 championship success Sebastian Vettel had with the team at the start of the decade.
The Dutchman was considered the next big thing to come from the company’s young driver program when he joined in 2014 and his rapid rise which saw him in the main Red Bull team just two years later highlighted that view.
With only three race wins to his name, scoring major achievements is taking time for the 20-year-old but his own goals are a little more muted.
“I know that records are very important to Sebastian, and for me, it would be nice, but records aren’t something I really need in my life,” he told Germany’s Auto Bild.
“As long as I am world champion one day, that’s the most important thing to me.”
Marko, who brought Vettel through the ranks, is more ambitious with his target for Verstappen.
“He wants to repeat the Vettel story and win world championships,” Max said, with the now Ferrari driver winning four titles between 2010-2013.
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A solid pre-season has suggested that perhaps this could be the first opportunity he gets to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari on a regular basis, though, as has been the case since 2014, it is the Renault engine which could be the anchor.
“What I want is a much more consistent season than last year,” he told Holland’s Ziggo Sport Totaal after retiring seven times in 2017. “A lot fewer failures. To win again if possible and the first pole position would be nice.”
