Max Verstappen prefers not to look up to the greats of Formula 1 history as having an idol means "you can only lose".
By winning the title in 2021, he joined an elite band of races past and present who have become household names for their achievements in F1. He still has a long way to go before achieving a similar status to the likes of Michael Schumacher and rival Lewis Hamilton, though – he remains six world championships behind those two greats.
Verstappen insists that such comparisons do not interest him anyway. He claims he is focussed solely on achieving as much as he can during his career, and that the accomplishments of others are of no consequence to that goal.
Asked about being compared to the late, great Ayrton Senna, the Dutchman told F1 Insider : "To be honest, I've never had an idol, although I have extremely respected many athletes for their achievements. But I've never had anyone to emulate. I've only ever looked after myself.
"If you are completely addicted to an idol, if you want to copy a hero, you can only lose – because you can only be as good as possible, but never better. That's why I've always tried to be myself. I don't want to and can't compare myself to others. At the end of the day, I want to be able to say to myself that I did my best work as often as possible."
Verstappen is currently in the best position to win this season's title, thanks to his 38-point gap over nearest challenger Charles Leclerc. Back-to-back titles would be quite the achievement, and he believes his team will be able to give him cars in which he can continue to fight for the championship year after year.
"I also believe that we will have top material in the next few years," he said. "But I prefer to keep the ball low and concentrate on the here and now. What I've learned is that the balance of power can change quickly in Formula 1.
"On the other hand, I feel and like that Formula 1 is a team sport. It's in your hands alone on Sunday and you represent hundreds of people who have done everything before to put you in the best possible position. Whenever I destroy a car or parts of it, my first thought is that I have given these helpers a lot of work unnecessarily."
But allowing himself to look into the future, he added: "I want to win as many titles as possible. But I don't waste any thought on how many there could be, because – as I said – one always depends on the material. If I don't make it, I certainly won't fall into depression."
