Verstappen candid: 'I think that's even more important than performance'

"Brabham, Stewart, Lauda, Piquet, Senna, Verstappen." These were the words of Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner on the board radio towards Max Verstappen after he finally secured his third world title. Verstappen says he mostly lives in the moment, but admits it does something to him to see himself among such big names.

How does that actually sound for Verstappen, three world titles? "It sounds great. It's something, of course, I never even really dreamt of. It's, of course, a very proud moment for myself, for my family, my close family I think everyone within the team I'm working with, to be able to experience all of this together is amazing," Verstappen said at the Losail International Circuit.

"I said it on the radio already, on the in-lap, of course, we talk about performance and you can always thank the team for that, but I also find the whole atmosphere and how much I enjoy working with all these people, I find that probably even more important. It's very important to come to the track and know that you have nice people to work with," he adds.

Which world title is the best for Verstappen?

Of course, with three world titles to his name, the inevitable question has to be asked: how high does this one rank? "This one is the best one," says the brand-new world champion. "I think the first one was the most emotional one, because that's when your dreams are fulfilled in F1 but this one has been my best year. Consecutive wins and stuff, the car itself has been probably in the best shape as well. For me, this one I'm the most proud of, in a way, because of consistency."

Verstappen on legacy in F1

Christian Horner mentioned Verstappen in his radio message as part of an illustrious list he now belongs to: Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna. With his own legacy in F1, however, Verstappen is not so concerned: "I'm not in Formula One to leave a legacy, in a way. I’m here to win, I'm here to try to do the best I can and try to enjoy the moment with the people who helped me achieve these things."

Those things are more important to Verstappen than a legacy, but it still impresses the Dutchman to see his own name in that list. "It's something that I never thought was possible, to be in that list. When you see those names, you're like, ‘wow, that's incredible what these people have achieved in their careers,’ and now you're alongside them. It's, of course, an amazing feeling," the three-time world champion says.

Verstappen on track for more records

With his own current form and that of Red Bull, it is expected that Verstappen will be able to fight for more world titles. If he clinches a fourth world title, he will join Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost. This is followed by Juan Manuel Fangio with five titles. As is well known, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the record for most world titles with seven.

Where does Verstappen hope to finish in that list? "Of course I want to win as much as I can. I know that from third place to second is quite a big gap. I hope maybe in my career I might end up somewhere there in the middle. That would be nice but I don't know. It depends a lot on what's going to happen in the next few races and the next few years as well", he explained.

"I don't know how long this is going to last. I'm enjoying the moment and I think that's also very important. I achieved more than I could have ever even dreamed of or set any goals that I wanted to achieve and have fun, so I'm loving the moment. We'll see where we end up but it's already way more than I ever thought I could achieve, so it's perfect," said the three-time world champion.