Max: 'The passion needs to come from within yourself'
Published on 04 October 2023 by Florence Cobben
On the eve of the Grand Prix that will likely clinch Max Verstappen’s third world championship, the driver is a guest on the new season of Mind Set Win, the Red Bull podcast that examines the psychology of the world’s top athletes that push them to their wins.
The speedy Dutchman can already clinch his championship in Qatar thanks to the extreme speed of the Red Bull RB19 and Max’s consistent performance throughout the season. The reigning world champion discusses how unique it is that he has scored the maximum number of points nearly every weekend.
“You have to be very consistent over a season. And basically, you cannot really have off days or off weekends and you have to be “on it” all the time. And that’s not always easy to achieve. You know, sometimes, (when) weekends start maybe bit tougher for you, it’s how you get yourself out of a tough situation and how you try to make the best out of that moment and still make sure that you have a good weekend. I mean, this is something that is a continuous process. And also to experience (it), you learn more how to be on top of these kinds of things.”
Do you feel fear during or before a race? “No I don’t think 'fear'. Sometimes of course you realize that certain situations can be dangerous. But no, fear not. You just sometimes realize, ‘OK now it’s getting a bit dangerous, you have to be more careful.’ Stuff like that.”
No risk, no fun. Which races are the most fun, and which are boring? Max: “A fun race can mean anything: starting and winning from the back, or having a battle or rain coming in, drying up again. A bit like last weekend (in Zandvoort) where it’s very slippery, you need to go on different tyres, then at the end of the day you still win the race… that’s a fun race. But then also sometimes you have a race where not much happens, or you are not involved in a lot of different things, and you’re basically driving one and a half hours by yourself. No one in front, no one behind, you’re by yourself.”
What is your greatest mental strength and did you have to cultivate this or did it come naturally? Max: “I don’t like to overcomplicate things, and think about it too much. For me, that doesn’t work.”
Your father was a Formula 1 driver and your mother was a chart-topper in carting. Do you see yourself as a product of that childhood? Max: “For sure. I mean, when I was four years old I didn’t know that I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver. I was just driving and having fun. At one point, I think, you find your passion. And then its about your parents supporting you, but not pushing you to do it. Because otherwise, it will catch up to you. You will do it for a couple of years because your parents like you to do it. But if it’s not your real passion at one point it will come out.”
Max elaborates further: “Sometimes I needed to be pushed in terms of understanding how serious it was what we were doing, but the passion needs to come from within yourself. If you are not the one who wants to improve or wants to do better.... because, you know, it’s your life, it’s your career... then at one point it goes wrong.”
