After a disastrous race at Marina Bay a week ago, Max Verstappen returned to the top of the time sheets at Suzuka this weekend by grabbing his ninth pole position of the season. Since the Dutchman has been so dominant this year, many believe that F1 is boring. Amidst such concerns from fans, the 25-year-old has joked that he will join the $18,270.6 million rubber industry by opening his own shop.
There has been no stopping the Red Bull driver this season as he has won 12 of the 15 races so far. His teammate Sergio Perez won two of the other races while Carlos Sainz broke Red Bull’s winning streak by winning the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend.
Incredible qualifying, and an incredible weekend in general so far 👏 The car was really enjoyable to drive, @redbullracing 💪 Happy to be on pole!
Thank you to all the fans here at Suzuka for your support all weekend 🙌 See you on race day! 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/crhb50GYio
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 23, 2023
However, it has taken Verstappen and Red Bull just one weekend to set the record straight and get the smiles back on their faces. The double world champion has so far kickstarted the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in perfect fashion by clinching pole on Saturday by beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to it by a huge margin of almost 0.5 seconds.
Max Verstappen jokes about wanting to start a new venture
As always, the Pirelli representative gave the pole-sitter a tire as the award for registering the fastest lap time during qualifying. After giving the award to Max Verstappen at Suzuka on Saturday, the Pirelli representative informed the Dutchman that he has the highest number of pole positions this year.
On hearing the same, the 25-year-old hilariously joked, “Ok, I am going to start my own shop to sell the rubber“. Verstappen’s response amazed the fans as many of them commented upon how unserious he is despite having been showcasing unprecedented dominance this season.
“you have the highest number of pole positions this year”
max: ok… i’m gonna start my own shop to sell the rubberPLEASE 😭😭😭pic.twitter.com/2eTkSaHJlf
— clara (@leclercsletters) September 23, 2023
For example, some fans such as Feona questioned why Verstappen is “so unserious“.
He’s so unserious. Why is he like this. 😔😔😂😂😂
— Feona 💛 🐧🏒 (@feooonuh) September 23, 2023
Meanwhile, several others such as Amelie believe that the Dutchman is hilarious.
He’s so funny!
— Amelie G 💚🤍❤️ (@op__f1) September 23, 2023
While Verstappen may be unserious when he is not racing, he is undoubtedly one of the most focused drivers when he is on the track. It is the same passion and commitment that has helped him to be in an unassailable position this season.
Verstappen is cruising towards his third championship
The disappointing weekend in Singapore did not seem to faze Max Verstappen as it has barely taken him any time to return to the top. The Dutchman, who is cruising towards his third title this season with a 151-point lead at the top, will now be looking to extend his advantage even further at Suzuka this weekend.
Following the conclusion of the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, many had suggested that FIA’s clampdown on flexi-wings was the reason for Verstappen and Red Bull‘s poor performance. However, the Milton Keynes outfit have just taken one week to prove that analysis wrong and are leading the grid once again this weekend.
