VIDEO: Double world champ Max Verstappen on why his TAG Heuer Monaco is his “lucky charm”

Borna Bošnjak

Last weekend, Max Verstappen joined the pantheon of multiple world-champ greats. Winning the title once may be a hugely impressive accomplishment, but out of 34 F1 champions, only half have been able to repeat the feat. Though touted as a hot-headed teen upon his entry into the sport, Max has matured into a clinical, calm and collected racer, seemingly presenting the same in interviews. In this video for T+T, he talks about motivation, lessons from his early racing days, and why his TAG Heuer Monaco has become his “lucky charm”.

 

 

Andrew got the chance to speak to Super Max after qualifying in this this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, which saw Ferrari storm the field, locking out the front row with a stonking performance from the Charles and Carlos duo. While Verstappen’s Red Bull team secured a second row start, the first of many Ferrari strategy cock-ups this season would throw away a 1-2 finish, resulting in Max’s team-mate, Sergio Pérez, winning the race, while Max took the lowest step of the podium.

While Max didn’t necessarily have the weekend of dreams in his pseudo-home Grand Prix, he went on to secure eight more victories after Monaco for a total of 12, and with four races left still has the chance to break the per-season win record of 13, currently jointly held by Seb Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Much like the two German greats, Max secured his title on Japanese soil, winning in treacherous, rain-soaked conditions at Suzuka, seemingly cruising to a 27-second lead by the end.

With a 165-point constructors’ championship lead, Red Bull is on track to beat Ferrari again, which would be their first title of the turbo-hybrid era thus far dominated by Mercedes. Next stop – the US of A.