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Max Verstappen is not taking anything for granted in what he called a long season after his win at the 2022 F1 Canadian GP.
The Dutchman notched up his sixth win of the season after starting from pole at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In the process, Max Verstappen extended his lead at the top of the World Drivers' Championship standings to 46 points over Sergio Perez in P2.
Speaking at the post-race press conference, the 24-year-old said that his commanding lead could quickly be wiped out, as was evident after the third round of the season, when Max Verstappen was trailing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The reigning world champion said:
“It’s still a very long way and I know the gap of course is quite big, but I also know that it can switch around very quickly. I mean, race three I was 46 behind, so we just need to stay calm, we need to focus, we need to improve, because today we’re not the quickest.”
He continued:
“It swings a bit, like last weekend it looked good in the race, now it didn’t look as good but we still managed to win and that I think is also a quality and we just have to work together with the whole team you know to try and just find little improvements in the car.”
However, Max Verstappen appears to be in cruise control after nine rounds of racing in 2022. He has his sights set on the 2022 F1 British GP.
Max Verstappen disagrees with talks of a salary cap for F1 drivers
Max Verstappen has admitted to being strongly against the idea of a salary cap being implemented for F1 drivers' salaries amid concerns about rising costs in the sport. F1 has a hard $140 million budget cap that all teams must operate under, however, drivers' salaries are exempt from this.
Verstappen was asked to weigh in on the matter prior to the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP. He said:
“It’s still all a bit vague as well, right? I mean, I think no one really knows where it’s going to go. But from my side, it’s completely wrong. Because I think at the moment F1 is becoming more and more popular and everyone is making more and more money, including the teams, Formula 1 - everyone is benefiting. So, why should the drivers, with their IP rights and everything, be capped, [drivers] who actually bring the show and put their lives at risk? Because we do, eventually. So, for me, it’s completely wrong.”
The Dutchman is one of the highest paid drivers on the F1 grid after signing a massive extension with Red Bull that runs through until the end of 2028.
