Max Verstappen enjoyed a highly dominant Formula 1 campaign but as the Dutchman describes, it wasn’t completely error-free.
Max Verstappen has shared the one “embarrassing” mistake he made during his incredibly dominant Formula 1 season this year.
In his path to a third World Championship, Verstappen emerged victorious in 19 out of the 22 races.
Throughout the campaign, the Dutchman faced little challenge and set numerous records in what was one of the most one-sided seasons in F1 history.
However, the 26-year-old admitted to a mistake he made during the final minutes of the Q1 qualifying segment at the British Grand Prix. He understeered into the pit lane wall, damaging his front wing as he left the garage.
“I only made one big mistake this year,” he shared with Blick. “I drove into the pit wall at Silverstone.
“That’s quite embarrassing. But things didn’t go perfectly in Singapore either [Ferrari won the race with Carlos Sainz].
“Unfortunately, I made a mistake with the set-up – and that’s what led to our only defeat in 2023.”
Verstappen doesn’t miss intense battles
Verstappen’s third title was a stark contrast to his first, which was achieved after a hard-fought campaign against Lewis Hamilton.
He and Hamilton engaged in a fierce battle throughout the year, resulting in several clashes.
When asked if he misses the thrill of fighting for wins and titles in high-pressure situations, Verstappen responded, “No. I’m content with how this season unfolded.
“Of course, I appreciate the duels we used to have. But now, I particularly value the successes we can celebrate as a team.”
“Of course I love to dominate the races. But that also means fighting with myself.
“I don’t always look at the race results, I just try to do everything better in the cockpit, to understand or improve things.”