SINGAPORE - Thirty-three winners came before him, including legends Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, but newly crowned Formula One world champion Max Verstappen wants to leave his own legacy - by simply being himself.
Responding to The Straits Times in a virtual press conference a day after winning his first title, Verstappen said: "I just want to be myself and remembered as someone who didn't change, as the real Max who's always straightforward and an honest person."
Two months before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale, the Dutchman said that no matter the result, it "would not really change my life".
And he still stands by that.
He said: "I'm always happy to win it but it shouldn't change you as a person in any way. But it's been an intense season and I'm just happy to have a bit of time off now.
A well-needed break will be the perfect end to a campaign that saw him engaged in a thrilling season-long title battle with Mercedes' seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, who was gunning for a record eighth world title at the Yas Marina circuit, looked set to cruise to victory with 10 laps to go, prompting Red Bull boss Christian Horner Verstappen to remark that they would need "some luck from the racing gods".
Verstappen, who made his F1 debut in 2015, said: "Of course I always kept believing in it and kept pushing but it looked very unlikely that I was going to win the championship but the key is you've got to keep believing."
But luck arrived in the form of Williams driver Nicholas Latifi , whose crash in lap 53 brought out the safety car, with a resulting controversial decision by race control leaving Verstappen and Hamilton in a straight race to the finish in the final lap.
Recounting his feelings then, he said: "I was very excited to have at least a shot at it for the last lap so I was also very focused. There was so much pressure on that last lap so a lot of things were going through my mind.
"It was my instinct to get by as quickly as possible. I always prefer to be ahead (and) defend because I knew he would come back at me on the straight."
Looking back at the epic battle between the two, he added: "Throughout the season, I found it tough because you never know what happens. I never said to myself 'This is it. I'm going to be the champion', I never wanted to think about it but in the final lap, after turn nine I was like, 'OK. This is it now. I'm not going to give it away now.'"
While Sunday's race was mired in controversy, Verstappen said it was a fitting way to end the season.
He said: "I'm very happy to win it. It was an insane season in general and basically, I couldn't have written it any crazier in the final race. It pretty much sums up the whole season."
He also paid tribute to Hamilton - with whom he has had a somewhat testy relationship this year - calling their season "something unforgettable". He added: "We will want to win but we also respect each other a lot and I'm very thankful for this whole season that we've been battling and it's been great."
He may be on the top of the world, but Verstappen is still the same little boy who first clambered into a go-kart at the age of four, hungry and ready to go.
He said: "A lot of sacrifice and hard work (went into this) and you have to believe in it. It's a constant process and not something that you can just say 'Next year I want to fight for the title'.
"This was already being built for a few years... it's a real team effort and it took a bit of time but now we're here."
After a tiring fight against Hamilton, Verstappen was asked if he would prefer to retire like Nico Rosberg, who did so after beating Mercedes teammate Hamilton to the 2016 title. His response was immediate, as he said: "Quitting has never been an option. I'm happy to be in the sport and hopefully I can do it for many more years.
"But of course, you also need a bit of luck to win multiple titles. But for me, everything now in F1 has been achieved already and everything that comes now is just a bonus."
