Max Verstappen has categorically ruled out the idea of pushing for motorsport's fabled 'triple crown' during his career.
The Formula 1 world champion is already one of the most famous faces in all of motorsport by virtue of winning the 2021 title. That he did so against Lewis Hamilton and in infamously controversial circumstances has only made him more well-known to the wider public.
While Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez beat him to the Monaco Grand Prix trophy this year, Verstappen is already a champion at F1's most famous venue. He won the race in 2021, having started on pole as a result of the forced retirement of home favourite Charles Leclerc due to a mechanical problem.
As well as contributing to his title win and putting him among elite company as a winner in Monte Carlo, it was also the first step on the way to motorsport immortality. Verstappen is only two steps away from winning the 'triple crown' – a renowned achievement within the sport.
To earn it, a driver must be a winner in motorsport's three most famous events. The Monaco Grand Prix is one, while another takes place further north in the form of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The third is the Indianapolis 500, the oldest of the three having first been held in 1911.
While he is already a third of the way there, Verstappen insists he has no intention of trying to complete the set. That is because he is put off by the idea of competing in IndyCar, which feels would put him at risk of an injury which could threaten his F1 career.
"I never had the desire to get the triple crown," he said after the race in Monaco. "At least, not the IndyCar race. I do appreciate what they do. It's insane, those drivers... I have a lot of respect for what they do, but for me now that I've been in F1 for so long, I don't need to risk my life or get an injury to my legs or anything. It's not worth it anymore."
The Dutchman stopped short of ruling out going for two of the three, though, and spoke of his love for endurance racing – hinting at a possible future tilt at the Le Mans trophy. "Maybe Le Mans. I like endurance races, so I'll probably do a few, hopefully soon," he added.
To be so successful in three different types of racing is so difficult that only 19 different drivers have competed in all three legs. That elite list includes Fernando Alonso, who has completed two of the three legs by winning in Monaco and Le Mans, though he is yet to taste success in IndyCar.
Juan Pablo Montoya is another face familiar to F1 fans to be one away, but would need success at Le Mans to complete the triple crown. The only person ever to win all three events is Graham Hill, who was also a two-time F1 world champion in the 1960s.
