Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen says he is not aiming to try and top his record-breaking achievements of last year over the upcoming campaign.
Verstappen took 19 grand prix victories, four sprint race wins, 12 pole positions, 21 podium finishes and led over 1,000 laps across 22 rounds last season, setting many new all-time records for Formula 1.
Speaking to media including RaceFans at the launch of Red Bull’s new RB20 at the team’s Milton Keynes factory on Thursday, Verstappen said he was not thinking about trying to break his own records in 2024.
“These kind of things are very tough, I think, to top,” he said. “I think it’s also not even our goal.
“I think it’s just about trying to deliver another very competitive car and from my side, of course, I’ll try to deliver the best I can. But that depends on a lot of things that have to come together, so I guess only time will tell how quick we are.”
With heavy competition behind Red Bull last season between rivals Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin, Verstappen says that Red Bull’s success this season is as much down to their rivals as them.
“Around us, people are learning more and more,” he said. “It’s not always that it’s up to us how great the season is going to be, because if you have more natural competition with different teams it’s even harder to win races.”
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Verstappen has already tasted the RB20 on track with a filming day at Silverstone on Wednesday. Asked what it was like behind the wheel of the team’s newest car, Verstappen replied “slippery, because it was wet and cold.”
“Everything was fine,” he continued. “It’s literally just a filming day.
“The car started up well. It’s about just making sure that once they’ve put the car together, that everything is running because basically from there the car gets sent to Bahrain. And that’s where it really starts, you really start to learn more about the car. You put a proper programme together and you do a lot of different kinds of running.”
Despite Verstappen winning the last three championships and Red Bull heading into 2024 as back-to-back defending constructors’ champions, he insists the team remain as eager as ever to win.
“Everyone is actually very motivated again,” he said.
“Of course, we are all very proud of what we have achieved last year and the years before, but we also are very proud of this car so far, in terms of the…
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