"His favorite thing about racing is beating people": F1 pundit on what stood out about Max Verstappen

F1 pundit Scott Mitchell-Malm recently gave a unique snippet about Max Verstappen from his latest interview with the Red Bull driver.

The three-time world champion won 19 out of 22 races in the 2023 F1 season and was miles ahead of any other driver. However, he was not as dominant in qualifying sessions. The Dutchman revealed why he likes main races much more than qualifying.

Speaking on The Race podcast, Mitchell-Malm talked about his recent interview with Verstappen. He stated that the one aspect about the Red Bull star that stood out for him was how Verstappen preferred main races more than qualifying sessions despite several drivers considering qualifying as the pinnacle of performance.

"He prefers Sunday and the race to qualifying. You hear so many drivers talk about how qualifying is the pinnacle, like that's the peak of the weekend for them because the car is a lot lighter than it is when you do a race start, you got the softest tires, you put everything on the line, and it's this proper performance crescendo," Mitchell-Malm explained.

Verstappen, according to Mitchell-Malm, further claimed that any driver on the grid can clock in a quick lap, but driving a full race distance with perfection is a challenge.

"But Max does not see it that way. He is, as we know, uncompromisingly competitive. His favorite thing about racing is beating people. A lot of drivers think they love to win, but Max really loves to win. He prefers the races because he reckons that anyone on the grid can do a quick lap, but doing the best job over a Grand Prix is a challenge," he added.

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Max Verstappen feels Haas drivers need a better car to perform

Max Verstappen recently spoke about how a driver needs a good car that runs longer on any set of tires. Furthermore, he gave an example of Haas and claimed that the team needs a strong foundation, which is the car. A decent machine will automatically help Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen race.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, the Red Bull driver also stated that a driver can only find one or two-tenths of a second per lap by paying extra attention to the tires.

"You definitely need a car that takes good care of the tyres. Otherwise you’re doomed. You can see it at Haas. I don’t think Nico and Kevin are idiots. If the car overloads the tyres, there’s not much you can do. First of all, you need the foundation – and that’s the car. As a driver, you can find one or two tenths of a second per lap by paying more attention to the tyres," the Dutchman said.

Max Verstappen ended the 2023 F1 season with a whopping 575 points, while the entire Haas team only scored 12 points in the constructors' championship.