Verstappen looks back on 2022: 'Sometimes it's nice to have the better car'

Max Verstappen could not have won his championships in more different circumstances. In conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport the Dutchman compares the situations in which both his titles were won and looks back on the dominant year he has had.

The title fight in 2022 looked very different from the one in 2021. Last year, the championship was only decided in the last round of the final race, in a race that was discussed and criticised long afterwards. 2022 was almost boring by comparison: four rounds before the season's conclusion, Verstappen could already call himself a two-time world champion.

"They feel different," Verstappen explained when asked to compare the two championships. "The emotions are totally different when you are fighting for your first world title. It's not good for you to have seasons like 2021 every year, where it's constantly so close. Of course, it was wonderful to still win the championship. But this year's title feels more like a reward because of the many wins."

'Sometimes it's just nice to have a dominant car'

Verstappen did not face much resistance this year. Biggest rival Ferrari managed to win four races and George Russell and Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez won one and two races respectively, but the other 15 victories this season are all in Verstappen's name. A new record: until now, there had never been more than 14 races won by the same driver in a single season.

Verstappen was then asked if he would have liked more of a challenge in 2022. " Sometimes yes, sometimes no," the Dutchman replied with characteristic level-headedness. "In certain situations, I longed for it. But sometimes it's just nice to have a dominant car. In general, I hope the field will come closer together."