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Max Verstappen denies any changes to his mindset after winning his maiden championship. The Dutchman revealed he was more motivated than ever before but the pressure was lesser with one title under the belt.
Speaking at the FIA Drivers’ Press Conference ahead of the Bahrain GP, Verstappen said:
“I mean the motivation is the same or more again because you want to keep winning, you want to just want to be upfront right, specially after last year. As a little kid, you always dream to be a Formula 1 driver, and hopefully one day you win a championship. But that’s achieved.”
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Multiple champions such as Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have suggested that everything after the first title will be enjoyable and the Dutchman will be less pressured in the future. The reigning champion felt the pressure was off after he had achieved his goal of winning the title, but was motivated to defend it and to keep winning more races.
Explaining the reduced pressure in 2022, the Dutch champion said:
“That kind of pressure of wanting and needing to do that is gone. But you still want to win races and stuff, so that’s what I am here for.”
According to the Red Bull F1 driver, the pressure might be lesser and the need to achieve the goal of winning a championship is gone. Verstappen, however, explained that after last season, he is more motivated to defend his title in 2022 and wants to continue to succeed in the sport.
Max Verstappen topped second Free Practice on Friday in Bahrain
The reigning world champion topped the second free practice session on Friday ahead of the Bahrain GP. The Dutchman's fastest lap was clocked at 1 minute 31. 936 seconds and was less than a tenth of a second ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who was second fastest. The Monagasque's team-mate Carlos Sainz was third fastest as the Ferrari duo were in strong form throughout the day.
The Dutchman’s 2021 championship rival Lewis Hamilton was ninth fastest in the session. While the seven-time world champion has admitted that they will have a difficult start to their 2022 season, Max Verstappen doesn’t believe their struggles to be real.
