Max Verstappen concedes that he must be lucky enough to surpass the seven F1 titles held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
The Red Bull driver, a three-time world champion, clinched the championship in the last two years following his exhilarating and contentious maiden victory in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
When the 2024 Formula 1 season kicks off in Bahrain on March 2, Verstappen and Red Bull are expected to be the favourites. However, the Dutchman acknowledges that anything he achieves from this point onward is considered a "bonus" in light of his previous accomplishments.
“If it happens, it happens,” Verstappen told The Sunday Times, when asked if he could overtake Hamilton and Schumacher in the all-time leaderboard.
“But you need to be lucky to be in a great car for a longer period of time. You’re very dependent on the material you have.
“When I won my first title, I said, everything that comes next is a bonus because, realistically, in F1, I’ve achieved everything that I wanted to achieve. Being on the podium, having a pole position, winning a championship. These kinds of things were my dream to achieve in Formula 1. From now on, I’m just, yeah, trying to stay on top.”
Verstappen, 26, holds a £40 million per annum contract with Red Bull until 2028, marking his 14th year in the sport since debuting at the age of 17 in 2015.
Notably, in the previous year, Verstappen showcased unparalleled performance by securing victory in 19 out of 22 races while driving a Red Bull car that outclassed its competitors. However, he remains doubtful that a season of such dominance can be replicated.
“It cannot always be like this, I know that,” Verstappen said.
“The season we’ve had has been probably the best single season performance in F1, in terms of stats and records.
“So I know that it will be very hard to try and do better than that. I think I just have to manage my expectations from now on. That’s just something that you have to keep telling yourself.”
The 2024 F1 season, which will feature a record 24 races, starts on Saturday March 2 with the Bahrain Grand Prix.