Formula One star Max Verstappen thinks he’s not the new Michael Schumacher. It’s a fair point. In his 2017-18 season with Toro Rosso, the 15-year-old Dutchman has already won twice and finished second three other times. In the English Grand Prix on Sunday, Verstappen was so quick he outmaneuvered his rivals to win the race on his Red Bull.
Schumacher is the record F1 race winner with 91. Verstappen is not the first in this generation to win a Grand Prix, but there are doubts he’ll eventually take the mantle of #1.
However, in a recent interview in December with Top Gear, Verstappen claimed, “I’m here to enjoy racing but I’m not here to be Michael Schumacher.”
Verstappen had his heart set on being like Michael Schumacher.
Paint TOLW: I’m here to enjoy racing but I’m not here to be Michael Schumacher.
Well that’s opinionated. In the end though, Verstappen’s been described by BBC F1 pundit James May as a triple world champion “in his lifetime.” It would seem he’s not interested in being a one man band.
“I can never think in the short term,” Verstappen said. “I like my immediate future and then I can think about long term, but [I want to] enjoy my life in the present.”
Verstappen said that if he’s shown he can compete on this level, it will never be long before he comes to Ferrari. He’s a big fan of his current team Red Bull, he said.
“If I can keep fighting against the best — with good cars — then I have a chance to be there or thereabouts every single weekend.”
So, that’s what Verstappen wants, but for now, he appears to be focused on what he has achieved, which was good enough to win the Spanish Grand Prix. “It’s a nice feeling,” Verstappen said. “It has been a great weekend.
“I’m proud of the result. It is only the first race of the season, and we need to keep our feet on the ground.”