Max Verstappen, who was arguably the most hated driver on the grid during his early F1 years, has gained a massive fan-following in recent times. The Dutchman’s competitiveness has shot up to a whole new level and is on the verge of ending Lewis Hamilton’s reign as world champion.

Hence, citing his uprising as a dominant F1 driver, the latest fan poll led by Motorsport in partnership with F1, revealed that Verstappen is the most popular driver on the grid, with Lando Norris and his fellow British colleague, Hamilton, closing out the top 3.

Over 167,000 fans took part in the poll, out of which around 14% of them voted for Verstappen. Well, as reported by Marca, Verstappen had a hilarious response to being the fan favorite.

What did Max Verstappen say?

The Dutchman joked that his life is complete and that he would retire from Formula 1 right away. “My life is already complete and I can retire,” he said. However, on a serious note, Verstappen did affirm that he doesn’t necessarily care about fan votes and reckoned his focus is entirely on winning races and ultimately the championship.

“No, seriously, I’m not here for this. It’s okay to vote for me and like it. But, I’m here to win races,” Verstappen concluded.

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And rightfully so, his focus is likely residing on the upcoming challenge at the COTA. Hamilton has been a bit too competitive for the entire grid when it comes to the US Grand Prix.

Can Verstappen stop Hamilton and Bottas in Austin?

The latest F1 race in Turkey witnessed Verstappen visibly struggling compared to Bottas and Hamilton. However, luckily enough, a strategical blunder left the Briton reeling in P5, and ultimately seeing the chequered flag in the same position.

But, Verstappen is quite aware that Hamilton’s threat will be much higher in Austin this weekend. “Of course, the pace of Mercedes that we have seen is real. But, I am not worried because it is not something I can do anything about,” he said.

“I have to concentrate on my own and make the most of it, also here, on a different track, with different asphalt … We will see where we are, we want to be faster, in Turkey we were good, here we will see.”

Overall, a massive challenge awaits Verstappen, who is looking to secure what could be his first-ever championship title in F1. So, can he fend off the imminent Hamilton threat at Circuit of The Americas? Well, we’ll know in time.

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