"Not everything went ideally": Max Verstappen opens up on the mistakes he made in the 2023 F1 season

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen reflected on his 2023 season and stated that not everything went ideally during the year, alluding to his mistake in Silverstone and the team's performance in Singapore.

The Dutch driver had an almost perfect season this year as he won 19 out of the 22 races and scored 575 points in the driver's championship to claim his third world championship in a row.

However, Max Verstappen believes that there was still room for improvement, stating in his interview with the German publication Blick:

"This year I only made one big mistake. I hit the pit wall at Silverstone. That's rather embarrassing. But not everything went ideally in Singapore either. Unfortunately, I messed up the setup - and it happened. Our only defeat in 2023 was perfect."

Max Verstappen hit the pit wall during the 2023 British GP which caused damage to his front wing and put him in doubt for the pole position. He recovered perfectly in the session to take the top spot and spoke about the "minor incident" to the media, saying:

"Of course, we knew that we had a quick car, so you don't risk it all the way to get through, but still that final lap, of course, I had my little incident in the pits where I destroyed my front wing."

He added:

"Yeah, I had a bit of understeer out of the box, too much rear grip. So yeah, I had to take a new front wing, but that meant of course that I was in the back to start that final run and it was quite exciting."

Max Verstappen got emotional about his record-breaking 2023 title

Max Verstappen shared that he got a bit emotional while standing on the top spot of the podium in Abu Dhabi when he realized that he wouldn't drive the RB19 again in his life.

As per F1.com, Max Verstappen reflected on his 2023 season and said:

“I think it did hit me a little bit more once I was standing on the podium in Abu Dhabi, you realize the season is over, you don’t get to drive this car anymore, unfortunately. I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved, but I hope also that it doesn’t stop here!"

It will be fascinating to see if Red Bull and Verstappen can carry on their amazing form into the 2024 season and make it four championships in a row next year.