Max Verstappen is open to taking number one on his car if he ends up winning the world championship this season.
A driver has the option to race with car number one if he is the champion. The last time car number one graced the grid was in 2014, the year after Sebastian Vettel won his fourth world championship.
Since then, no driver has opted to drive with it. Lewis Hamilton stuck with his preferred number of 44, while Nico Rosberg retired immediately after winning the championship.
Verstappen is open to taking number one on his car if he wins the championship, and said that he will maximise the opportunity. He currently races with the number 33.
“Absolutely,” the 24-year-old said, as quoted by grandprix247.com.
“How many times do you have the opportunity to drive with number one? And it’s good for merchandise as well, you know. So it’s smart to do that.”
Victory hopes
Verstappen currently leads the championship by 19 points, and he will race in Brazil next. Including the one at Interlagos, there are four races left, and the Dutchman is taking nothing for granted.
“In four races a lot of things can happen,” he continued.
“We are looking good but things can change very quickly… I’ve had a bigger lead already in the championship and that disappeared within two race weekends.”
Brazil seems to be a common theme in Verstappen’s life recently, as he met Nelson Piquet, the 69-year-old Brazilian F1 legend. He spoke about their encounter, and stated that he didn’t go to him for advice.
“I don’t need advice… we just had a good chat about all kinds of stuff. I know what I have to do in the car, so I don’t need to speak to anyone about that.”
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