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Verstappen backs himself: 'In a McLaren I'd won it earlier'
Max Verstappen thinks that if he would have driven the MCL38 in the 2024 season, he would have become a champion before he was eventually crowned at the Las Vegas GP. Looking back at the previous season, the Dutchman still stands by that statement.
Verstappen repeats: 'In a McLaren I would have become champion sooner'
In Las Vegas, where the Red Bull driver could finish ahead of Lando Norris and therefore confirmed his fourth Formula One world title, Verstappen explained that driving a McLaren, he would have been able to complete that achievement earlier. On the other hand, McLaren believe the gap was already too big after the first seven weekends.
Asked about that aforementioned comment and whether he could have achieved the same in a Ferrari as well, the Dutchman answered: "I would answer this question with a resounding yes for McLaren, but I would not be so sure about Ferrari," he told Blick.
The 2024 season began similarly to how the one before in '23 played out, with Red Bull Racing and Verstappen dominating at the front. Still, even as he was able to claim victories early on, Verstappen knew there were many issues already with the RB20. Especially after the summer break the Austrians struggled the most in terms of performance, as Verstappen tried successfully to hold onto his lead in the drivers' standings.
"Even with the good start, not everything was as easy as it seemed. After three wins, we knew we had a bigger problem. The bad thing was that we didn't understand what went wrong," the Dutchman concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder
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