Former Red Bull junior floats Max Verstappen's 'legacy' question as explanation for his on-track antics

Former F1 driver and Red Bull junior Karun Chandhok suspected that Max Verstappen might not care about his "legacy" while remarking on his drives during the 2024 season. The Dutch driver showcased true brilliance on several occasions during the recently concluded season and capped off his fourth successive world championship despite not having the fastest car.

The 27-year-old extracted the maximum performance out of his RB20 and scored crucial points to manage his gap against McLaren driver Lando Norris in the title race. However, in some instances, Verstappen seemingly went above the line to limit the damage and defend his lead.

Speaking with Mirror Sport, Chandhok believed that stewards were right in their assessment to punish Verstappen in Mexico as he went over the line. But the F1 drivers' champion showed another side of his driving in Brazil as he won from P17 to almost seal the title.

"Maybe he [Max Verstappen] just does not care about legacy. You do not need to do that. Like, it is okay if you lose a position once, but I think that they are not wired that way. They are not wired to lose and maybe that is part of their success, right?

"It is this uncompromising, win-at-all-costs mentality - maybe that is what makes them great and maybe that is why people like us were not great because we did not have that mentality. There is a public debate philosophically about this, but to me, it was a sign that, maybe he just does not care about legacy or what other people think."

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Max Verstappen on his "emotionally draining" Brazil win

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has stated that he would not want to "relive" the experience of the Brazilian GP as he termed the whole day of qualifying and the main race as "emotionally draining".

While appearing on the Talking Bulls podcast, the four-time F1 world champion said (via Sky Sports):

"I wouldn't want to relive Brazil because it was so emotionally draining that day that I cannot do that again. It's the same as reliving my first title that day. I think that day I would die. You really don't want to relive these kind of moments. They're amazing to look at, but not to relive."

Max Verstappen clinched the title this year at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix after he finished P5 ahead of his title rival Lando Norris. The Red Bull driver went on to win another race in Qatar and closed off the year with 437 points and had a gap of 63 points to the Brit.

In 2025, he will look to win a fifth successive world title, a feat only achieved by Michael Schumacher previously in the early 2000s.