Verstappen on Schumacher: 'At the time maybe people got bored''

Max Verstappen is on the verge of taking his third F1 title in a row. In Qatar, the Dutchman is asked how he looks at Michael Schumacher's seven F1 titles, now that the Red Bull Racing driver is stringing together F1 titles himself.

The Qatar Grand Prix will most likely be the scene of Verstappen's third F1 title. The driver already has a chance in Saturday's sprint race to leave teammate Sergio Perez far enough behind to secure the 2023 title. With three F1 titles, Verstappen is in a shared sixth place of all time, trailing only Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton and Schumacher.

Schumacher's dominance might have bored people

When asked what he thinks of the driver Schumacher, Verstappen told GPblog.com and others: "I mean, he's won seven, so that's still a few more to go. I think, of course, everyone, every generation is a bit different and that's why I find it very hard to compare world champions or even non-world champions [...] Now to look back at those kinds of achievements, it's incredible, right? And I think when he was driving and achieving these kinds of things, it was probably seen as a little bit more normal."

Verstappen highlights the difference between the greatness attributed to Schumacher after his F1 career. During Schumacher's dominant period, people did not think so much about it. Verstappen may currently be in the same situation. Verstappen: "He was just an amazing driver with an amazing team and everything came together and everyone maybe at one point got a bit bored of it. But that's why now, looking back at it, it's really, really incredible to achieve these kinds of things."

With the prospect of his third F1 title, the current top line of seven F1 titles comes one step closer. Whether it is already time for Verstappen to start dreaming of those seven titles too? Verstappen: "I don't think about that. We'll see year by year what happens"