Max Verstappen on why he won't chase the elusive record of 7 world titles held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher

Max Verstappen recently shared the reasons behind his indifference to chasing the elusive record for the most world titles in Formula 1. The Dutchman stated that title wins are extremely dependent on the car and that his main aim was to continue to enjoy the sport. The 26-year-old won his third consecutive world title after the Qatar Grand Prix and finds himself in conversation to be one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.

Despite all of this, Verstappen has always maintained that going after records was not something that motivates him. In a conversation with Channel 4, the Red Bull driver stated that he would end his career the moment the fun element was gone. This is precisely why Max Verstappen does not chase the seven world titles won by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. He said:

“I live day to day. Of course, I’m enjoying the moment and of course, again, next year we’ll find out how competitive the whole package is. I’ve got a couple years left anyway on my contract, I want to do the best I can and from there onwards, we’ll see. I think it’s very important that every time that you wake up, you look in the mirror, and you can tell yourself, I’m fully committed to giving it everything I have, because you know, you’re away from home a lot."

He added:

"You’re traveling a lot, you’re not spending a lot of time with your family and friends. So as long as I can say to myself, it’s worth it to go out there and do the best I can, I will stay in Formula 1. I’ve never been like, I need to win seven, eight titles. There is no real number for me because you’re so dependent also on the package that you get every single year.”

No extra value after the first title: Max Verstappen

Talking about his approach, Max Verstappen was quite steadfast in claiming that after the first title, subsequent titles were just bonuses. According to the Dutchman, his only goal when he started racing was to win one title. He said:

“When I started racing, of course, the ultimate goal was to win a title. That’s incredible because at the end of the day, if you win one or seven, it’s the same thing. So there is no real extra value for me to it."

He added:

"But of course, it’s nice now that we are in this winning streak and you keep on winning, that’s exactly what I’m here for. But also what I grew up with, like winning, you know, that’s what defines the sport. I just tried to enjoy the moment and try to do it as long as I can.”

Max Verstappen has maintained in the past that he was not in the sport to chase records. By the looks of it, his stance has not changed in the aftermath of his third title win.