The only regret of Max Verstappen: the Dutch driver reflects on the season and points to the Grand Prix where he “lost his head”.
The World Championship is still within reach, but the gap to Lando Norris has become significant. Max Verstappen takes a moment to reflect on his season and highlights his single major regret. The Dutch driver remains the only non-McLaren competitor still mathematically in contention in the Drivers’ Championship. After a season spent chasing the extremely fast MCL39, the four-time world champion looks back at the events in Barcelona.
Currently, 49 points separate Max Verstappen from Lando Norris, just one week before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. While the deficit is hard to close, the door is still open for surprises. If the MCL39 has dominated most of the season, outperforming the RB21 and other rivals, the Red Bull champion chooses to take responsibility for what happened in Spain. In a heated finish, the #1 on the grid intentionally collided with George Russell, earning a ten-second time penalty.
“The only point of criticism is obviously Barcelona,” Max Verstappen told Viaplay. “That move was not good at all, but it’s also because I care so much. I could have thought: ‘this car isn’t working anyway, so I’ll let it go.’ But I cannot accept getting out of the car knowing I didn’t give everything. That’s when I get angry at myself.”
Max Verstappen: “I lost my head in Barcelona, but it won’t happen again”
“When I get out of the car, I always have to be able to tell myself that I did everything I could,” Max Verstappen continued. The four-time world champion believes he has learned from the mistake: “That’s why I was so angry in Barcelona. First because of what happened on the straight at the restart, then in Turn 1, and of course when I was told to give back the position. At that moment, I saw red.”
“It was a mistake on my part. Those moments won’t happen again next year, even if we find ourselves in a similar situation with the car. These are the little things you learn from, but overall, in terms of performance, the season has been absolutely good,” the Dutchman concluded.
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