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Max Verstappen might have won the 2021 F1 drivers' world championship with Red Bull but his thirst for banter seems unquenchable.
Verstappen has revealed that he cheekily predicted a race win for Haas in the 2021 season, among other things.
In a social media video published by F1, the Red Bull driver can be seen picking Gunther Steiner's outfit to take the checkered flag at one of the 22 races.
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Verstappen was obviously joking — he couldn't even keep a straight face through the entire exchange. In the way the 2021 calendar played out, however, he wasn't far off. In a season where a Williams had a P2 finish (albeit at a rain-marred Spa-Francorchamps), would a Haas win have been all that implausible?
When asked about his other two predictions for the season, the Dutchman said:
"I wrote six race wins and a good amount of gin and tonic. I did have more than six race wins and I did have a good amount of gin and tonic. So, it's not too bad. It's a good prediction."
Max Verstappen did more than enough to earn a score of two out of three, keeping pace with his stellar record on the track in 2021.
Winning 10 races out of 22 this season, he matched his total tally of race wins from the start of his F1 career.
He also finished 2021 with a total of 18 podiums, setting a new F1 record in the process. He now stands alone at the top, followed shortly by Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel, all of who have 17. He also did not have a single P3 classification in any of those podium finishes.
Max Verstappen's triumph 'first of many', feels Gerhard Berger
The dust is yet to settle on Max Verstappen's maiden drivers' world championship win, but he is already being touted for greater deeds.
Former Austrian F1 driver Gerhard Berger believes Verstappen's triumph over seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is the first of many for the 24-year-old Dutchman.
When asked about Red Bull's first drivers' world champion since the illustrious Sebastian Vettel, the 62-year-old Austrian told ServusTV:
“He’s going to be world champion many more times.”
Max's father, Jos Verstappen, also harbors similar hopes for his son.
Max Verstappen's talent and potential warrant such hopes. He is the fourth-youngest world champion in the history of F1 and has a long career ahead of him. First up, though, will be his title defense in 2022.
