Max Verstappen felt he couldn't afford to make any mistakes after dropping 46 points behind Charles Leclerc during the early stages of the 2022 F1 season.
Although Verstappen’s dominance meant he clinched the title with four races to spare, the Dutchman hadThis came after he was forced to retire in both Bahrain and Australia due to a fuel pump problem, causing him to fall 46 points - almost two race wins - back from Leclerc in the standings.
Asked by Motorsport.com if he could identify one area where he really stepped up this year, Verstappen noted the importance of scoring at every race, and recalled feeling that he could not put a foot wrong after the early DNFs. “You know when you have to fight for a title, you need to score points basically every race as much as you can,” Verstappen said ahead of collecting the F1 world championship trophy at the FIA prize giving in Bologna last week.
“That’s why at the beginning of the year, it was very tough to have these DNFs. I knew from that point onwards, I could not afford any mistakes from my side, in case we would have retirements for whatever reason. “You always try to be as clear as you can be and try to be as perfect as you can every single weekend. That’s what I try to demand from myself every time I jump into the car.”Photo by: Carl Bingham /
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How Verstappen and Red Bull went from disaster to record breakers in F1 2022Max Verstappen and Red Bull appeared down and out after the opening three rounds, with Charles Leclerc and Ferrari on a charge. But in the end the Dutch driver and his team put together a dominant and record-breaking Formula 1 campaign. Here’s how the season unfolded and the key moments which decided the 2022 season
Read more »
In Memoriam: Remembering The Celebrities And Notable Figures We Lost In 2022There have been huge losses from the worlds of TV, film, music, sport, fashion and literature – as well as many well known public figures over the last 12 months.
Read more »
Infantino calls Qatar 2022 'the best World Cup ever' as he sidesteps migrant worker question - Football365Gianni Infantino called Qatar 2022 “the best World Cup ever” as the FIFA president sidestepped the subject of compensating migrant workers...
Read more »
FIA challenge assessment of F1’s new rules for 2022 from Sebastian VettelThe FIA's Nikolas Tombazis has refuted suggestions from Sebastian Vettel that the new regulations haven't quite worked out as planned.
Read more »
F1 2022 season tech review: How minnows attacked new rulesThe 2022 season was a massive shake-up for F1 with the new car regulations. Find out how the minnows approached this challenge courtesy of SomersF1. Story:
Read more »