Max Verstappen insisted he’s perfectly happy dominating Formula 1 and has no desire for closer races anytime soon, as he chases Sebastian Vettel‘s record for the most consecutive wins in the sport.
A win in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix would mean Verstappen could equal Vettel‘s tally of nine at his home race at Zandvoort, and no other teams on the grid look close to stopping the Dutchman at Spa.
Despite some competitive races for the remaining podium places behind him, Verstappen says he’s perfectly happy remaining the driver to beat in F1 and hopes the fight doesn’t catch up to him any time soon.
“I like solo races,” Verstappen told the press. “But for my side, we try to of course make the gap bigger. That’s our goal.
“I don’t mind racing. But I’ve done a lot of racing already in my life, so you don’t need to necessarily do that every single race.”
Verstappen confident for Spa whatever the weather
Verstappen is one of the best wet-weather drivers in F1, and has shown that from the start of his career. The weather in Spa is expected to be atrocious all sprint weekend and there’s the possibility that some meaningful sessions will be washed out completely, while Verstappen previously hinted the rain could bring about the downfall of Red Bull‘s dominance.
However, the circuit would be expected to play to their strengths in the dry and the rain will likely hinder Sergio Perez much more than Verstappen.
Perez is the only other driver to have won a race in 2023 but he’s not done so since April. He broke a five-race streak of missing Q3 at the Hungarian GP but could still only qualify ninth at the Hungaroring so Verstappen enters Spa as the heavy favourite once again.
“I think we’re just quick in the wet or the dry now,” Verstappen said. “It’s going to be probably a pretty wet weekend, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great track and to try and win here again, would be amazing.”
