Verstappen jokes with Hamilton: "I'll have to drive on until I'm 40"

Max Verstappen praised Lewis Hamilton after the Portuguese Grand Prix. The 23-year old has admitted how impressed he is by the level that the Mercedes driver shows every week. 

"Lewis is pushing hard, I will have to work hard to reach that number. A number of 92 victories, that is an incredible achievement. And it will not stop there. He will go well over a hundred. I'll have to drive on until I'm forty, but that's also a motivation of course," Verstappen praised his British rival at the press conference, where De Telegraaf, among others, was present.

Max praises Hamilton

Verstappen praised the Brit's consistency, adding: "Everyone knows he's fast, but he also drives very constantly and rarely makes a mistake. That's how you get to numbers like this."

Verstappen has shown glimpses of challenging Mercedes this season but hasn't been able to consistently due to the superiority of the Merc. "I have accepted it. Otherwise I will become a very frustrated person. That doesn't mean I don't want to make the most of every weekend. Everyone loves to win, but if it's not possible, so be it."

The nine-time Grand Prix winner will not become the youngest world champion. That record will remain in the hands of Sebastian Vettel for the time being. "But when I am forty or fifty years old and look back, I don't think such things interest me. When I look in the mirror and ask myself whether I've pulled out all the stops and the answer is 'yes', I'm happy'," concluded the driver of Red Bull.