Max Verstappen says he is not taking Red Bull’s current domination in Formula 1 for granted, aware that it will “at one point stop”.
Verstappen extended his winning streak to eight races after another dominant drive at the Belgian Grand Prix, triumphing from sixth on the grid following a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
Having worked his way past Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Verstappen tore past team-mate Sergio Perez for the race lead on Lap 17, eventually winning by a 22-second margin.
It leaves Verstappen with a 125-point lead over Perez in the drivers’ championship heading into the summer break, but despite his ongoing run of success, the Dutch driver has no plans to ease off.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after his victory, Verstappen said: “I’m definitely enjoying the moment but at the same time I know that this one at one point will stop, so we need to enjoy keep learning keep trying to improve and I’m trying to implement it again for the next race.
“This keeps the fire going. If I have to rock up and I have no chance of winning then the fire starts to go away.”
Asked if he will still be in F1 for a while longer, Verstappen added: “It depends what we what we keep doing every single year but this year, it’s looking great. Next year is again a completely different year.”
Verstappen’s win at Spa saw Red Bull’s winning streak stretch to 13 races and also break McLaren’s record for most consecutive wins in a season from 1988.
But while Red Bull remains unbeaten in 2023, Verstappen is urging the team to strive for excellence in every area it can.
“It’s not so much about learning about myself, it’s just always wanting more and I’m trying to look at every single situation what you could have done better,” he said.
“I know that how I’ve been brought up as well to always want more and always look at details. Even when people say that it’s great or amazing, there are always things that can be done better.
“And I also know that I’ve been on the other side of it where you’re trying to hunt for victories and you always come short, because you just don’t have the package or whatever.”
