Max Verstappen Is On Hamilton's Heels, But He's Not Letting The Pressure Get To Him
By Marc Gordon - October 9, 2021

Max Verstappen is driving one of the closest races in memory against the world champion Lewis Hamilton as we approach the Turkish Grand Prix. However, Red Bull’s Verstappen says if he loses it won’t change his attitude or his life. Whether or not he takes home the title of world champion it still has been a great year for the youngster.

The Dutch driver is only two points behind Hamilton’s lead. If Hamilton comes out on top this will be his eighth world title, a record, while for Verstappen it would be his first. If the Dutchman does take the top prize he’ll be the first non-Mercedes driver to win it since Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

“We are very relaxed but also very focused and of course we want to win,” said Verstappen in an interview on Thursday. “There’s nothing you can force or you have to stress about because we always want to do the best we can anyway.”

“If that’s going to be, at the end of the year, first, that’s of course an amazing achievement and that’s what we work for, right?”

“But even if we would finish second, I think we still would have a great season and at the end of the day, it’s not really going to change my life.

“I enjoy what I’m doing and I think that’s also very important. For me, there is not much to worry about, really.”

The young driver received rich praise from the previous world champion, Fernando Alonso. Alonso said he was surprised and appreciated the way in which the 24-year old driver was handling the pressure, though immense it was.

“It seems that for him it is not a big deal every weekend and he takes it race by race. I think that’s the right approach for these remaining races,” Alonso said.