Max Verstappen surprised everyone when he told his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to let Sergio Perez pit before him when both drivers were on the verge of getting their second pitstop. However, it wasn’t an act of kindness from Verstappen but an eye on a personal achievement as revealed by him in the post-race press conference.
Verstappen completed 1000 laps as the leader of the race this season while winning the Abu Dhabi GP. When asked what thought was in his mind, he confessed that it was him tracking down how many laps he needed ahead to maintain that record.
“It was to try to lead for 1000 laps,” said Verstappen to the media. “I knew that was on the cards so just to make sure they didn’t pit me too early.”
Initially, many believed that Verstappen perhaps wanted to help Perez beat George Russell and Charles Leclerc, which was surprising as in many cases the Dutchman has refused to help his teammate. Nevertheless, Verstappen also stated that his tires felt good, so he was fine without a sooner pitstop too.
With that Verstappen has finished the season with 19 race wins, breaking his own record of most wins from last year by a far margin. Yet, his dominance seems to be far from the end.
Max Verstappen likely to dominate in 2024 too
After the race, Charles Leclerc and George Russell joined Max Verstappen for the press conference. Presenter Tom Clarkson quizzed all three about the season ahead. Leclerc admitted that it’s a long way before Ferrari can match Red Bull.
On the other hand, Russell revealed that Mercedes realizes where his team lags against Red Bull. So, in terms of that, the Silver Arrows will map their development for 2024. The Briton is sure that compared to this year’s testing, Mercedes will observe better testing in 2024.
However, Russell also confessed that Red Bull will take a step ahead. The only thing he can hope for is a stronger Mercedes in 2024 instead of Red Bull’s dominance getting ended.
Meanwhile, McLaren is also seeking a step in the mix for the 2024 title battle. It remains to be seen which team could give the toughest challenge to Red Bull in the upcoming season which is hardly three months away.
