Verstappen took his seventeenth grand prix win of 2023 at Interlagos on Sunday, leading to him securing one other historic document as the motive force with the best ever win proportion in a season.
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Even when he doesn’t triumph in both of the remaining two races of the marketing campaign, his tally of 77.27% eclipses the 75% mark that Alberto Ascari reached in 1952 when he gained six out of eight races.
As Verstappen’s Crimson Bull squad congratulated him on the feat over the radio after the chequered flag, it mentioned they’d additionally give him one other piece of historical past – and shocked him by enjoying the 1966 Tom Jones hit Inexperienced, Inexperienced Grass of Dwelling.
Regardless of telling the staff over the radio that he was “not an excellent singer”, Verstappen did try to hitch in with the lyrics as he returned to the pits.
His engineer Gianpiero Lambiase then informed him over the radio: “Simply don’t hand over the day job” – earlier than Verstappen responded: “I believe I’m higher at that!”
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, within the storage earlier than the race
The selection of such a basic hit prompted a little bit of intrigue, however Crimson Bull staff principal Christian Horner has defined the background – that the track was one which Verstappen and his father Jos used to play within the karting days.
“We discovered at the moment one thing else about Max, that when he used to move again from the kart races, his father used to play Tom Jones tracks over and over,” mentioned Horner.
“So I managed to placed on Inexperienced, Inexperienced Grass of Dwelling. It was Radio Crimson Bull.”
Horner admitted some shock that, when requested to select a track for Verstappen, it was an {old} basic that emerged because the Dutchman’s favorite fairly than something fashionable.
“I’ve acquired no concept why a 26-year-old would decide Inexperienced, Inexperienced Grass. It was essentially the most unlikely track I assumed. However Jos informed me in Qatar,” Horner added.
“I requested him ‘What’s his favorite track?’, and I used to be going to see if Paul [Smith, Red Bull head of communications] can play it. And he went Inexperienced, Inexperienced Grass by Tom Jones.
“I used to be pondering, clearly after the Spice Women, that he can be completely into Ed Sheeran, or anyone modern of his age. However no, Tom Jones!”
Photograph by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
Christian Horner, Staff Principal, Crimson Bull Racing talks with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase
Talking about beating the Ascari document after the race, Verstappen mentioned that greater than being within the historical past books, it was testimony to the way in which that he and Crimson Bull have been working flawlessly.
“It is not one thing that once I joined Formulation 1, I must have a 75% win document over a season,” he mentioned.
“These sorts of issues come alongside when the whole lot simply works rather well. I really feel good within the automobile, the automobile may be very aggressive, and the staff barely makes errors as properly. So then you will get a season like we’re having.
“For me, it is extra about simply having fun with the second and attempting to maximise each single alternative.”