Max Verstappen gets candid: How F1 champ really feels about Vegas race

Max Verstappen has had a groundbreaking Formula 1 season and can make even more history this weekend by winning the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Liberty Media, F1’s parent company, spent $500 million to bring the series to the entertainment capital of the world. The race will have drivers speeding down the iconic Strip and has received criticism for its sky high ticket prices and emphasis on theatrics instead of the actual competition.

Verstappen told USA TODAY Sports last month that he is interested in seeing how the race plays out.

"Driving on the Strip is something that I never thought was possible with an F1 car," he said in an interview on behalf of Exxon/Mobile. "And of course, it’s gonna be a night race as well, so I think it’s gonna be really cool. … I think everyone is excited for it."

Since then, the Red Bull Racing driver has been more outspoken about the fanfare overshadowing the race. The track has been criticized for its fairly circular layout and lack of high-speed corners.

“I think we are there more for the show than the racing itself if you look at the layout of the track,” he told the Associated Press. “But you know, I’m actually not that into it. I’m more like, ‘I’ll go there and do my thing and be gone again.’”

Verstappen, 26, secured his third straight title at the Qatar Grand Prix last month. He won a record 10 straight races this season and captured his 50th career win at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

He said with the season still going, he hasn’t soaked in his latest title quite yet.

"I can enjoy the championship a little bit more once the season is over,” he said, “and you have a few weeks off to really take it all in."

Max Verstappen on the growth of F1 in the United States

After winning the last month's Grand Prix, Verstappen said he ate a "good burger" because "when you’re in Texas, you need to eat a bit of meat." He has won the United States Grand Prix three years in a row and also both years of the Miami Grand Prix.

There are three races in the United States for the first time, Formula 1 added Miami last year and welcomes Las Vegas this season in addition to the Austin race. The sport’s growth has been boosted by the popular Netflix series “Drive to Survive,” which Verstappen has been critical of, and the pop culture craze around drivers like himself, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and rising star Lando Norris.

F1 traditionalists decry that there are now three races in the United States, but Verstappen said he understands why the calendar has expanded so much in the country. He said the amount of races in the United States is “absolutely fine.”

"It’s great to see the growth," he said. "When you look at the size of the country compared to the continent of Europe, I think it’s absolutely OK. … They are also very different from each other.”

Why Red Bull's dominance isn't a bad thing

In Verstappen’s historic season, there have been small hiccups. He started 15th at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix because of a driveshaft issue in qualifying and started 11th at the Singapore Grand Prix before finishing fifth. There was a chaotic rainy day at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he battled back to beat Fernando Alonso and teammate Sergio Pérez to win his home race.

“There were a lot of perfect opportunities to make mistakes,” he said, “but I think as a team, we really did well and barely made any mistakes."

Verstappen won three more races after capturing the driver's championship. He has won a record 85% of the competitions so far this year and, even if he doesn't win another race, will finish with the highest winning percentage ever.

Red Bull Racing captured the constructor's championship for the second straight season at the Japanese Grand Prix with six races left on the calendar. Pérez hasn't been on the podium since the Italian Grand Prix in the beginning of September, but finished in the Top 3 eight times and claimed two of the three races that Verstappen didn't win.

"I think we’re all positively surprised from the start with how well this season has gone," Verstappen said. "As a team, of course, we were quite dominant in most of the races.”

While Verstappen and Red Bull’s reign might turn off some fans, motorsport trail blazer Willy T. Ribbs explained why having a frontrunner isn't a bad thing. He cited Juan Manuel Fangio’s five championships in the 1950s and Mercedes winning eight straight constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021 to show that having one driver or team is nothing new.

"If you look at history, there is cycles of dominance,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “Now Red Bull has come along and they are the dominant horse right now. That’s not gonna last forever. One of the beauties of the sport is watching the other teams get it figured out.”

When Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix at the age of 17 in 2016, he was the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 race. It was only the beginning of an illustrious career. He previously said that he doesn't want to race as long as fellow champions Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who are in their late 30s and early 40s, but shared what keeps him motivated.

"For me, it’s about winning and having the possibility to win again next week. ... There’s a few more races left where we want to do well,” he said, “and I would be very annoyed if I go to the next races and I’m not giving it a hundred percent.”