The Dutchman had an early end to the 2022 contest where his run of dominant form in the second half of the season saw him wrap up his second drivers crown at the Japanese Grand Prix.
It was in stark contrast to his first title success of 2021, which ended in a hard-fought finale in Abu Dhabi and ended in controversial circumstances over the FIA’s handling of a safety car restart at the end. race.
Verstappen said after the way of that 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton that he couldn’t deal with the stress of such a tight contest all the time.
Talk to The Guardianhe said: “You can’t have this drama every year, that’s for sure. It’s not good for me, it’s not healthy for anyone in the team – both teams.
But as F1 prepares for a possible 24-race calendar in 2023, Verstappen is aware that driver stress and strain is likely to increase.
When asked if he was prepared for what could be around the corner, Verstappen said he had no concerns about the complications of a heightened challenge – or that he needed be prepared for greater difficulties.
“If you’re not prepared, then you better quit already, right?” he said: “I think we are all runners and we love running.
“Of course, it’s just that it’s good to have a season like I had last year, but it’s also good to have a season like I have this year. It would just be very difficult if you had that every year, the year I had last year.
“But that doesn’t really happen in Formula 1 either, so that should be fine.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Erik Junius
Verstappen’s closest rival Charles Leclerc agreed there was no choice but to be ready for bigger and more intense seasons to come.
“I think we’re all set for longer seasons,” he said. “Hopefully it will be close. It’s always nice to fight to the end. But yeah, I’m ready for more runs and hopefully a longer fight.
While Red Bull have dominated this year once they overcame the weight handicap of their RB18, Verstappen doesn’t think it’s a given that their margin over the opposition will continue into 2023.
“I think it will be closer,” he said. “People understand the cars a lot better and over time all the teams will come together.
“We know that over the winter we really have to keep pushing and keep trying to find performance, not just performance: maybe understanding the tires even more, because the tires are going to change a bit for next year. So yeah, let’s see how we handle it all.
