Verstappen not sweating over Vettel's mark
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LONDON • Max Verstappen has one last chance to become Formula One's youngest world champion this season but it is not something he dwells on.
The 22-year-old Red Bull driver holds the records for youngest F1 driver (17) and youngest race winner (18) but shrugs off talk of reaching another age-related milestone.
"I don't think about it too much," he said during pre-season testing in Barcelona when asked about possibly taking the record from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, whose first title with Red Bull in 2010 came at 23 years and 134 days.
Verstappen will turn 23 on Sept 30, three days after the Russian Grand Prix.
"For me it's more about we want to win this season. We want to fight for that championship," he said.
"If that means that you become the youngest, great.
"Many people say 'Ah, you're the youngest driver in F1 ever' and I'm like: 'Yeah, but I don't care about those kind of records'."
The son of former racer and Dutch favourite Jos has already started 102 races and won eight.
Last year, he was best of the rest behind six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
If Red Bull give him a good enough car, he could be the main man taking the fight to Hamilton when the season starts in Melbourne on March 15.
"For me that's always been the aim. I'm waiting to have that opportunity," Verstappen said.
"Of course I have to make sure that I am ready for it but I think I am. I've learnt a lot over the last few seasons. I think the whole team feels ready for it, so now it's up to us to make sure we are competitive."
He also said that he was positively surprised by the new Zandvoort circuit after he tested it out on Wednesday, two months before it hosts the first Dutch GP in 35 years.
Hoping to permanently reclaim a place on the calendar, Zandvoort recently completed a €15 million (S$23.2 million) overhaul of its outdated circuit in the dunes 25km west of Amsterdam. Its most prominent new features are two banked curves, which Verstappen said give the track a unique feel.
REUTERS