"I will still be upset" - Max Verstappen wants to keep contending for the F1 championship in 2022 season

Max Verstappen has claimed that losing races in the 2022 F1 season will still upset him despite winning the 2021 drivers' title, explaining his mindset after winning this year's title.

In an interview at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes, current world champion Verstappen discussed life after winning the title, highlighting his championship-winning mindset going into 2022. The Dutchman feels as if he is calmer now after winning the title, but will still try to contest for future titles. He said:

"If I don't win the race and come second next year, I will still be upset - I still want to win. Anything that happens now is a bonus but that doesn't mean that once I have the opportunity to win, I won't go for it in the same way again."

He took the chance to talk about his general level of confidence, claiming it had never been a problem for him. He said:

"It has been hectic all the way through so I'm also pretty tired at the moment after always trying to be perfect and on top of my game. Winning the championship, your body needs a bit of time to recover. Confidence has never been a problem because as a driver, you always have to believe you can do it. Now that you have achieved it, it just relaxes you a bit."

The young driver says he will take a few weeks to relax and unwind after the hectic season he has had. Despite his desire to unwind, he was seen testing the new 18-inch Pirelli tires in Abu Dhabi just two days after his dramatic win.

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Max Verstappen to run car number one after 2021 title win

Max Verstappen will change his car number from #33 to #1 for the 2022 season after his last-lap title win against Lewis Hamilton on Sunday. No driver has run the number since Sebastian Vettel in 2014.

Verstappen said in a post-Grand Prix interview:

"Yeah, I will run it. How many times can you do that? I don't know, maybe it's the only time I can in my life. I think it's the best number out there. I will definitely put it on the car."

Vettel ran the #1 in 2014 as the defending champion but was outperformed by Hamilton at the end of the year. Despite winning the drivers' title seven times, Hamilton opted to stick with his old #44.

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