Max Verstappen believes the moniker of ‘Mad Max’ is unfair to describe his approach to racing.
Since arriving in Formula 1 in 2015, the Dutchman has always been known for an uncompromising style both in attack and in defence, something that has gotten him in trouble on several occasions.
However, he defended his actions suggesting he was always in a situation of having nothing to lose.
“I was never ‘Mad Max’, I was just Max who was trying to get the best result for the team. As a driver, I will always be the same guy,” he told Reuters.
“I always try to get the best result out of it, I’m not there to just sit second or sit third. I’m a winner and I want to win every single race and I will always go for it.
If you are fighting for the championship sometimes second is enough, for sure,” he noted. “But I’ve never been in that position yet in F1, so every opportunity I get to win a race I will always go for it.”
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Last year saw what some considered as the mellowing of the Red Bull driver though, as a more considered approach after the Monaco Grand Prix reaped big rewards in terms of results.
Verstappen is also gaining more and more experience and pointed to that looking ahead to 2019.
“It’s going to be my fifth season so there are no excuses anymore and you have to be mature,” he said.
The 21-year-old was also asked how long he intends to race in F1, with his response unlikely to go down well with his rivals.
“My aim is to be here for 15 years at least. I’ve got another 11, and I’m 32 then,” Max stated. “Maybe I can drive until I’m 36 or 37. 40. It depends on how long you like it as well. Maybe 42.”
Looks like we can expect orange to fill the grandstands for quite some time yet then…
