Max Verstappen ran first if he becomes an F1 champion

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Max Verstappen said he will drive his number 1 car next season if he wins this year’s Formula 1 championship.

Verstappen, who lead Lewis Hamilton in the championship series by 19 points after four races, chose 33 as the number that will follow him for the rest of his career. F1 rules allow the reigning champion to change from the number he chooses to number one if he is the defending champion, even though no driver has done so since Sebastian Vettel in 2014.

Since then, Hamilton has always chosen 44th place, while Nico Rosberg withdrew from F1 after winning the 2016 World Championship.

Verstappen said switching to number 1 could be a unique opportunity for the F1 driver and joked that it had the added benefit of being good for his brand.

“Absolutely,” Verstappen said when asked about taking the number.

“How many times have you had a chance to drive No. 1? And it’s good stuff too, so it’s smart to do!”

The talk of the car number was as close as Verstappen was talking about his position on the verge of the first world championship. The Dutch driver has been very calm under pressure this season and didn’t seem to be disappointed at moments like his first home Grand Prix race in the Netherlands or meeting one of the all-time tops of F1.

He said he remembers what happened during the two races before the F1 summer break when he went to the British GP with a 32-point lead over Hamilton and left the Mercedes driver with eight points after the Hungarian GP.

“Well, it’s very simple, to be honest, because if you don’t think about it, you don’t have dreams or anything. I’m just really focused.

“There’s a lot going on in four races. We look good, but things can change very quickly. I said it already after the Mexican race … I mean, I’ve had a bigger lead already in the championship series. here, and after this weekend we will try again to try to win the competition.

“My approach every single weekend is the same, so we won’t change that.”

Verstappen said he has not sought advice from former world champions, not even the father of his girlfriend Kelly, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet.

When asked if he had asked for advice when he visited Piquet’s garage before this weekend’s Brazilian GP, ​​Verstappen replied, “We didn’t really talk about it because I don’t need advice, and in any case, we were just good at talking about all sorts of things.

“I know what I have to do in the car, so I don’t have to talk to anyone about it. I’m a laid back person anyway, and it’s good to spend time with your mother-in-law as well. For the first time, instead of talking through FaceTime, so it was more important to just spend time.”