Having clinched his second F1 world title at Suzuka earlier this month, Verstappen continued his dominant campaign by scoring his 14th win of the year in Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
It meant Verstappen surpassed the existing record jointly held by Michael Schumacher from 2004 and Sebastian Vettel from 2013, as well as claiming the record for the number of points scored in a single season with two races still remaining.
Following his victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Verstappen paid tribute to his Red Bull team for “another great race” after picking up its 16th win of the year and ninth in a row.
“It's just an incredible season for us as a team,” said Verstappen. “I never thought I would be able to win 14 races in a year. But yeah, of course, I’m incredibly proud.”
The season win record has been within Verstappen’s sightlines for some time, but the Dutchman regularly downplayed the importance of the record and the possibility of getting there.
Upon matching the record at the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen noted the difference in eras and how F1 seasons now have more races. Schumacher’s 13-race haul came in an 18-race season, while Vettel matched that number over 19 races in 2013.
Asked by Motorsport.com after the race in Mexico if his decision to downplay it was a tactic to avoid losing focus, Verstappen said he was unsure but that he was “never really interested in stats.”
“I just live in the moment,” Verstappen said. “I just try to, of course, do the best I can every single weekend. I try to win the races and that, for me, is the most important. Every single weekend when I go home, and I can say to myself that I maximised or close to that I'm happy.
“But of course, a lot in Formula 1 depends on your whole package , right? And we are having a great package and I'm just enjoying the moment.
“I’m not that interested in keeping in touch with every stat. But of course, it is an amazing season and of course I'm very happy with winning so many races.”
Vettel insisted he has no regrets about losing the record that he shared with close friend and mentor Schumacher.
“No, I mean every time it's a bit different,” he said. “I think it's great for the team. I still know some people there, so I'm really happy for them and for Max.
“Well done. I think he's had a hell of a season, so hopefully he gets 16 at the end of the year! Everything else will be a disappointment, no?”
The Aston Martin driver agreed that sustaining such a level of success is not as easy as it might look from the outside.
“No, it's not,” he said. “But obviously I think they had a momentum from last year, the car this year is incredible. They won races even though they were heavier than everybody else.
“I think by now they've probably got the weight out. So the car is there, but Max is doing an amazing job as well.”
