Verstappen: I won't be satisfied with career until I seize Hamilton's title

Max Verstappen admits he won’t be happy until he dethrones Lewis Hamilton and is crowned Formula One champion, writes Will Jennings.

The 23-year-old Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver won the prestigious 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone this season and sits third in the World Drivers’ Championship behind six-time winner Hamilton and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Perfectionist Verstappen has spent this season chasing the Silver Arrows pair and their superior car and says he won’t be fully satisfied until he’s winning world championships.

“I will never be happy if I’m not winning, and if you’re not first in the Championship.” said Verstappen, who is supporting Esso’s recently-launched, cutting-edge, and commercially-available Esso Synergy Supreme+ 99 fuel through the Team’s Partnership with Esso.

“For me, it’s not interesting to be third, or second. That, for me, doesn’t count.

“Of course, it’s good if you look at the consistency in results, but I think if you want to win, and you want to win Championships, you cannot be happy with that.

“The team feels exactly like that too – we’ll take it and we’re there, but we want to keep improving and try to do better.

“I’m just trying to be as consistent as I can be and try to score the most points possible every single weekend, and I think so far we have done that.

“We are pushing very hard and we are trying the best we can. I think we are getting a bit closer, so that’s positive, but the gap at the moment is still a little bit too big to really fight them.”

Verstappen, F1’s youngest ever race winner, is backing Esso’s new high-octane Synergy Supreme+ 99 fuel, which allows engines to operate more efficiently and results in enhanced fuel economy, power and acceleration.

Double doses of Esso’s proprietary additive clean and protect engines to make them more responsive, with Alex Albon - Verstappen’s teammate - recently getting a taste of the benefits when he drove a Synergy Supreme+ 99-powered ice cream van.

Red Bull sit second behind Toto Wolff’s Mercedes in the World Constructors’ Championship after Verstappen finished third in last weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix.

That was one of nine podium finishes scooped by the dynamic Dutchman this season after Albon, 24, also clinched his maiden top three finish at last month’s Tuscan Grand Prix.

Seven-time champion-elect Hamilton continues to dominate, however, breaking Michael Schumacher’s record of race victories with an imperious 92nd triumph in Portimao on Sunday.

Red Bull are known for their rapid rate of in-season development and Verstappen, who has ‘no regrets’ about his career, reckons end-of-season improvements can lay the foundations for more a competitive 2021.

“I hope it’s going to be a bit closer,” he added.

“I think it’s very important that we just keep on developing the car we have now, keep on pushing, because it will also help us with next year’s car.

“You make mistakes in your career and you have to make them to become a better driver, but I think the steps we have taken so far have been good. No regrets - everything happens for a reason.

“We just have to be patient and find things all the time to go faster. We have to keep on pushing and try to close that gap that we can of course, to keep on improving and not stay where we are at the moment.”

Esso is one of the leading retail fuel brands in the UK, with more than 1,200 Esso-branded filling stations serving around 800,000 customers each day. To view further content about Esso Synergy Supreme+ 99, head to https://www.youtube.com/c/essoeurope