Being a Formula 1 driver comes with its own set of perks. With the massive global viewership the sport garners, drivers can become household names in a matter of days. We’ve seen drivers like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc become heroes overnight. Be that as it may, with all the hype also comes choice. In the past, we’ve seen drivers like Lewis Hamilton use the platform they’ve been offered to strive to make a difference. Hamilton is one amongst a gaggle of drivers who have very carefully picked their associations and endorsements to ensure that they aligned their agenda with the commercial fruits of the game. With the dominant and meteoric rise Max Verstappen has witnessed in the past two years, the Dutch lion is now on the cusp of making that choice.

As the 2023 season gets underway at Bahrain during Day 1 of the pre-season tests, Verstappen finds himself in a pretty comfortable spot. He’s driving for arguably the best team on the grid, and even commercially, his stock has been on the up. Earlier this year, the 2x champion announced two major endorsement deals he’s put pen to paper on. As of 2023, the 25-year-old is collaborating with gaming giants, EA Sports and his national brewing company, Heineken. Even though these are blockbuster deals on their own, Verstappen doesn’t look at them just as a source of income.

“But it must suit me and be for the longer term,” clarified the Dutch lion while being quoted by De Telegraaf. “I’m not going to shoot left and right all the time and take what I can get. It’s very important to be down to earth to stay. I’ve always been taught that since I started racing, I always have to keep my feet on the ground, be myself and stay honest.”

“I think that attitude ultimately also helps to achieve success. For some people, it may be tempting to walk next to your shoes, but that doesn’t bother me and the right people around me tell it like it is.”

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The way Verstappen conducts himself is majorly down to how his father Jos drilled certain concepts into him. And this fact is apparent in the way he appraises his own journey in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen opens up about his dominant F1 legacy

What Verstappen has achieved in this sport in the past couple of seasons alone is enough to etch his name in the annals of F1 history as one of the greatest ever. However, the Dutch racing ace doesn’t see things in quite the same way.

While speaking to RacingNews365.com, he said, “I have already achieved more than I could have ever dreamed of.” But he shrugs at the prospect of being named a great of the sport. “Honestly, I never think about where I am among the ‘biggest’ with championships and victories and so on. I’m just doing my job.”

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Do you see Max Verstappen blow the competition out of the water in 2023?