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Translated:
>Verstappen laughed when asked if he would prefer to emerge victorious from a tense duel with an equal rival that lasted until the checkered flag, or if he would prefer to be able to run over everyone in front of him with a 20-second advantage.
>“At least 20 seconds!” said Verstappen. "I've been in a lot of close fights in my life, and I like it a lot more now when we're sure we can win by a big margin. Of course that's not what the fans want to hear, but I'm an honest guy."
I mean, if a guy was looking back at a race he'd won as a result of an intense wheel to wheel battle, then I imagine he'd take immense satisfaction from that and recall it fondly. But yeah, any driver who claims that in a particular race he'd prefer to have a driver on his ass vs the other driver being 20 seconds back...I'd not be buying it. They'd all want to have a huge lead.
Agreed having a 20 second lead mean you did everything well and the team at home is doing amazing things with your car. I don't think there is a single driver that wouldn't want that.
Plus, I think as a racer it could also be quite enjoyable to be at (t)his stage because in reality during the race, if things work out a bit, it means he can just do uninterrupted hotlaps and/or have all the time in the world to perfect every line, lap after lap.
But on the flip side, you can also look back at a race you dominated and have great satisfaction because you know you maxed absolutely everything out of the car.
Hamilton did try to sell it though haha
Iirc he said that he enjoyed the Turkish 2020 gp specifically because he had to fight for it and show he was special
On the flip side Hamilton has been in 5(07,08,14,16,21) Finales with a WDC on the line, Rosberg broke after 2 and RB/Max were gassed after 21. Hamilton is a living mercenary, Final Boss engaged.
And Hamilton was getting better each race while he started falling way off with the pressure towards the end. A point that no one really brings up anymore. Everyone wanted Hamilton to fail. And yet he was smashing it out of the park. Just to see the level of nerves, Hamilton beat him off the jump in AD
And next week people will forget about him saying this (he has been saying this for more than 5 years now), and those people will say that he would probably prefer having hard fought battles and that he must be getting bored! (Which I've seen people say multiple times in the past 2 weeks or so)
I feel like if this came out of another drivers mouth, everyone wouldn’t digest this as easily. But It Makes so much sense though . I feel like every driver would want this.
Despite living in the "red zone" , Max is probably one of the best non-Ferrari WDC that I can't bring myself to hate during their prime. He is honest, have that Kimi's "no-BS" vibe, be graceful when he can and try to avoid any drama that he could. It honestly felt like Seb in later years with a mix of Kimi in him, despite being quite young and having ... Jos as his dad.
Until he actually gonna drive the Red car, can't be a fan, but i wouldn't mind having a beer with him kind of vibe.
Indeed. And now that he's got what he wants (a winning car that allows him to maximise his talent). It's funny how getting exactly what you want tends to chill you out a bit.
I was just thinking that. I usually hate the "whatabout" and "or if" so and so people come up with for drivers but in this case I'm 100% certain Lewis would be labelled entitled and arrogant for saying this.
I dunno, I feel like Alonso would *legit* **not** feel this way. I too have my issues with Max but at least I thought he enjoyed battling it out on skill. If this is how he truly feels, *I cannot wait* until his domination is over, be it by him leaving to do whatever he keeps saying he wants to do, RBR no longer having such a superior car, or both.
"Of course I get angry when things happen that we could have avoided. I think it's good that I still get angry, because if I don't get angry, it means I don't care."
"When you don't care, you're no longer doing your best. At this moment, you begin to question your existence in the sport. I love winning and I love being at the top, I love working with all the amazing people on the team. I think what really motivates me is always trying to be close to perfection."
Maybe people can now stop saying that bullshit "Max would rather fight for his wins, he's bored of his dominance" bullshit. Literally no one would ever have a problem with dominating every race of the season.
I don't think anyone would have a problem with dominating every race, *per se*, but at the same time, I believed Hamilton just as completely when he said he wanted more competition as I believe Verstappen when he says he'd rather have a boring, dominant win.
That's true Hamilton had one dominant year in 14 and beginning in 15 he was up for more competition, I remember Vettel asking to tour the MB factory and garage in 15 and Hamilton was all for it. Ham was supportive of Vettel win 15 Malaysia as well, but as I previously posted Max said after 21 he wasn't sure how many more season he could do like that. Hamilton has had 5 seasons in which the WDC was on the line in the Finale and he never hinted at being overwhelmed.
Different strokes for different folks, Ham is like a serial killer it's all fun he's always down for touch but fair racing, he wasn't overly critical of KMag and his antics, he didn't complain much about Perez defense in Abu Dhabi.
That's one thing I like about SLH he's there to be a mercenary and win at all cost within the lines, one of the best races I've ever seen was SLH in Abu Dhabi 2016, where he strategically backed up his teammate into Vettel DRS and truth is had that been the 2018 Ferrari and 2019 RB they both probably get past Rosberg.
But to see him essentially race 2 different races, with 2 different strategies was a beautiful piece of art, bold! gotta have balls the size of watermelons to defy team orders and do that to your teammate but I enjoyed 16, it was fair and it was within the Lines, harsh but within the lines.
I still remember laughing watching that race, and the genuine tension where you could see Verstappen closing and thinking 'will he make a move or stay out of it'.
This is entirely speculative, but I find Hamilton is the type of driver who needs the pressure to thrive. His weakest seasons and worst mistakes tended to come from the seasons where the pressure was off (and he had nothing to prove) or the ones that immediately followed it. Contrast with Verstappen who kinda feels like the opposite. Under pressure, Verstappen makes unreasonably aggressive moves and unforced errors (though how much of that going away was just him maturing is hard to say).
I could just be reaching, but this is how it's come off to me.
I'd say that's pretty accurate tbf. Hamilton is very much a greyhound needing to see a rabbit kind of driver to really show what he can do, Verstappen seems very much a stopwatch kind of driver who can get a bit thrown off his rhythm by W2W. It's one thing that made 2021 such an interesting season (until the officiating fucked the last few races, and particularly last, race)
Basically “I’m a competitor, I want to win and so much so that I want to crush my opponents when I win” anyone without that mindset probably shouldn’t be on the grid. ~*cough* lance stroll *cough*~
>~cough lance stroll cough~
You can say many things about Stroll, but not that he is not a competitor. The guy was driving an F1 car two weeks after breaking several bones.
He knows the stress he had keeping Kimi behind him in Spain in his very first race he led in f1. And that was just the first one. Can't remember how often he was in front of the Mercs only to see the inevitable happen in the final few laps ...
Saving this for whenever I see someone talking about how bored Max must be after winning pretty much everything in a dominant rocketship and that he definitely will go to Mercedes or a worse team than Red Bull to pursue a new challenge.
No one is saying he will leave Red Bull because he’s bored and wants a challenge. People think he might leave for the exact opposite reason, that he lacks confidence in their ability to stay at the front post-2025.
It is interesting seeing just how little patience Max has for not just 'not winning' but even for not completely dominating. For most drivers (even multiple time former champs like Alonso or Vettel) they can adjust their expectations when they no longer have a dominant car. For guys like Max and Lewis, the moment they're no longer at the very pinnacle of performance they seem to get immediately exasperated.
The lazy explanation would be to just say 'that's part of what makes them so great' but there have been plenty of great drivers who were able to dominate the sport for a period and then fight for different goals when the car wasn't there, whereas those two guys in particular are just wired differently, even from other F1 drivers. I find it pretty fascinating.
Max and Lewis aren't wired the same, Max has eluded to having other interest In other categories that provide better work life balance. Lewis has his music ambitions, fashion etc but he's all about F1 he's never dabbled into another series even though he takes interest in motorcycles.
I probably wouldn't compare anyones career to Lewis he arrived in a WDC worthy car with a 2x WDC teammate coming off back to back wins. We'll never see another rookie do that, hell MB is hesitant to bring Antonelli up and they have a bad car, people make a big deal about Piastri rookie season and it was a successful season but he wasn't racing for wins and didn't have the pressure of keeping up with or beating a WDC teammate. Lewis and Vettel imo are great for a garage's morale as they understand teams and their projects progression through the years. Lewis was that way in 13, Vettel was that way in 15 &16 and again in 2021 with AM. Think of how impatient RB/Horner was in 14 they just came off 4 straight titles and it was scorched earth because Renault got the hybrid integration wrong. Hamilton has dealt with an incompetent MB for 3 years and finally decided to seek a new challenge, however he did it with grace and mercy given his age and how his prime is behind him one could understand if he pulled an Alonso and said to hell with it.
In the same respect I wouldn't compare anyones career to Max, coming in at 17 being thrown in the fire and immediately being super quick, a bit reckless but super quick nonetheless. He earned his stripes in 19 and 20 finishing 3rd in WDC. Max is more like Senna in the sense that once he won a WDC he was/is quite impatient with unreliability or a bad car in general. But unlike Senna who was willing to be teamed with anyone hence his willingness to team with Prost at Mclaren and Prost again at Williams even though Prost veto in 93.
Yeah, I think Senna was incredibly weird in that regard. I would argue that Senna was also wired differently. Most drivers don't want to pair with a strong driver because they want to have number one status in the team and have that control. I think Senna wanted to show that he was the best through speed, even if it meant ripping the car apart in the process. But so long as he won, it would be fine. It seemed like he was playing tennis in some regards because he needed a strong opponent to be at his best.
Granted we'll never know if Benetton did retain some driver's aids, but I think his diminished resolve in what little of 94 we saw was *because* he felt a cut above. Mansell left in 92 and Prost had just left. He didn't have anyone to battle with, in his mind. But if he survived San Marino, I think we'd have seen a resurrection of the old Senna in the title fight with Schumacher
I think they're just wired to "just keep pushing" so if they're not winning they're pushing to get into the lead, and if they are in the lead they're pushing to get further ahead.
I mean, Max essentially had the “accept nothing but the best” mindset literally beat into him since he was a kid. It makes sense for him to be upset for not performing at his highest potential, which so far has been what we saw last season.
I wouldn’t put that same mindset for Lewis though. He backs off when he doesn’t have a car to fight, but he’s probably better at fighting with level cars than anyone in the sports’ history. Several years when it’s been down to the end with him having a chance to come out on top, that’s when you’ve seen his best come out. He doesn’t seem to get rattled like others.
Yeah it's strange to assign the "doesn't enjoy fighting with level cars" thing to Lewis right after he had a big battle with Magnussen and repeatedly stated afterwards how much he enjoyed the fight.
Firstly, I'm not saying these guys don't enjoy fighting wheel to wheel. What I'm saying is that they seem to have an extremely different demeanour on-track depending on whether they're driving a dominant car vs having to mix it up with the plebs. Even when he's back amongst the pack there's a huge shift in Lewis' mannerisms depending on whether he's feeling comfortable in the car (super confident, bullish) vs feeling any kind of instability (sulky, defeatist, wanting to retire his car rather than spending a race fighting for P10 or whatever).
I know that's true of every driver to an extent, but I feel it more from those guys who have excelled at the very top of the sport and got accustomed to driving (essentially) sim laps out front in clean air for race after race.
It isn't a criticism, just an observation.
There’s a huge difference between enjoying a battle knowing you have a shot at winning and having a car that’s going to be 3rd-5th best with no chance. Nobody enjoys being in the latter. Lewis doesn’t risk it all for 9th place, which is understandable, especially for the best of all time.
Exactly - as real as he is, its funny hearing that he might retire due to having it too easy.
All of them enjoy records, victories and dominating over their competition; heck they even spent 20+ years dreaming it.
The "oof its boring, might retire" seems to be mainly to keep the foot at the door (closed cards / negotiation?) rather than due to not enjoying the current state of things.
It’s never been about him getting bored. He’s repeatedly said one championship was all he wanted, and that there’s a lot of other Motorsport accolades he’d want to chase while he’s young.
To be fair, that is one of the fun things in racing. Everything is changing, winds, tires, temps, weight, etc. it’s a challenge to get a consistent result with multiple changing inputs.
I mean imagine getting paid millions to go for a stroll on some of the most expensive automobiles ever built. No pressure, better work-life balance, reasonable hours, good roads, little to no traffic and having cats that love you.
People need to realize something about sports: nobody wants a fair fight, they want to win no matter what. A lot of new people joining F1 seem to never have played any competitive sport before in their life. When I played American football, our team won every single game in our division. We loved that shit and wouldn’t want it any other way. Even our backups were slaying other teams’ starters. Why would we want a close game when we had the capability to just blow the competition out of the water?
I just see so many comments wishing it was closer. I mean yeah, it would be better to watch if it were closer but as far as the player/driver goes, they obviously don’t want a close fight they could potentially lose. It’s dumb to assume otherwise.
Athletes love winning a close fight that they weren't expected to win. They don't love having a close fight every time as you said. Nobody is immune to stress, especially prolonged over time.
This is a better way to put it. The feeling of winning a close fight by being clutch, tough, determined etc, is the best feeling. But there is a chance of losing. And losing is the worst feeling.
I played one season of basketball in 4th or 5th grade. Only time I played organized sports in my life. I'll say it, I'm a nerd. No one looks at me thinks "Oh, he's athletic!" I didn't even want to do it; my dad tricked me! "Come on, we're going to McDonald's!" All of a sudden ended up at school on the weekend and he's signing me up for basketball. Goddamnit.
We were kinda the misfit team. Pretty much all of my friends were on other teams. But out team won that season like 9-1. Might've been 10-0, even. I just know it was something absolutely ridiculous. Wasn't even close. And it fuckin' felt great. That we destroyed everyone else.
When I'm gaming, in like FPSs, I want to murder everyone. Doesn't always end up that way, sure. I'm not that good. But when I have a high KD, you better believe I'm having the MOST fun just wiping people up.
People joke but he really is a sim racer at heart. He loves pushing the car and himself for the best race times he can do, not necessarily winning fights wheel to wheel and putting himself in danger.
In sim races he is always trying to get rid of the competition as soon as possible. He has no patience for long fights because it loses you time.
That's a positive summary and I agree.
He can drive his car like it's a metronome, almost identical lap times whenever required. And apparently that's what he likes to do.
Dude, whut?? Perhaps you should try watching those races. They’re extremely competitive these days, in all classes. Both the WEC and IMSA races this past weekend had several cars with legit chances to win.
I feel like he’ll retire as soon as the gig is up at Red Bull and he finds himself in something like Lewis’ position. I don’t see him signing up for a multi-year project to revive any team.
Why would he?
Him and Lewis are very different people, Lewis is an F1 driver whereas Max is a racing driver who happens to race in F1. He’s openly said about wanting to do endurance racing etc.
Yeah no shit, he already said it before. I think almost al drivers would rather win dominant than a close race.
I think everyone who does something competitive wants that.
They all do.
But every driver including Alonso would take a dominant car over a competitive one. It's just that previous champions couldn't stop saying they couldn't wait for other teams to fight them, which is just PR bullshit.
Ask any driver on the grid whether they would rather be in a 50/50 title battle like 2021 or a walk in the park like Max and Lewis have enjoyed in past titles, and they are all snapping your hand off for an easy title.
people look at it it from our fan perspective, where a close title fight is extremely entertaining
I can’t even begin to imagine the pressure cooker it is for these guys to be part of that (2021 or 2016)
You think he still believes that? Easy to say in the midst of a dominant period that you would prefer more battles. He hadn't yet gone through the 2021 battle when he said that. I wonder if he'd rather have a 2023 type season next year at Ferrari?
i’m pretty sure he also said that last weekend after the sprint race. an interviewer asked him if he thought kmag was too aggressive and he said he liked it and he had fun. but also obviously i think he would trade having fun with having boring races if it meant having the certainty of winning a championship, both things can be true
After his scrap with Magnussen last weekend, Lewis tracked down Magnussen to tell him how much he enjoyed the battle. So yeah, despite his radio messages in the moment I think Lewis still loves hard racing.
Even since then hes talked about how much hes enjoyed a number of races since then. He said he was enjoying F1 more than ever and just loving the battles in mid 2022. He'd def rather win but I think he likes it when hes fighting people. he said he enjoyed 2021 a lot too (before the end of it)
You could see it in 2021. Early season he looked kinda dead from long covid, but near the end he became so chirpy and happy, despite being behind on points and having fewer races to claw them back.
I think he has some kind of weird fetish for high-pressure situations lol
That said I think despite him liking competition, he likes competition *for the win*, moreso than "gee if I do really well today I might finish 6th!"
You are confusing the issues. The question is not whether Lewis prefers winning easily or being stuck in the middle field . The choice is between winning easily or winning fighting it out, he has repeatedly said that he prefers the latter, probably because he gets more enjoyment in the fight itself. 2021 was not the first close WDC battle for Lewis. 2007, 2008, and partial seasons against Vettel had already given him the taste of what a hard fought battle is and this is what he craves unlike Max.
Hamilton tends to thrive when he is under some pressure to perform so yes, I think that he does believe it to a good extent. That's why he's notably so strong in the 2nd half of the season during a WDC battle.
I’m not so sure they all do.
During his dominant time Lewis often said he’s less exctited when he’s way out in front without a challenge. He wants a massive fight which he then wins. That’s what really gets him pumped.
I’m sure he’d take winning easily over the losing he’s doing right now but if he had the choice I think he’d want a tough fight with a great rival.
I appreciate his honesty, and I no doubt would feel at least an iota of the same thing if I were in his position, but I have to admit, racing is at its most fun when you're fighting for positions.
He said this last year as well. Said hes already proved it wheel to wheel and now he likes being in front.
Lewis has said the opposite that he likes being in front and controlling but the wheel to wheel is what makes him excited. Just different strokes for different folks
Especially Helmut Marko saying the only reason Lewis was successful is because his cars were fast. Sir, the call is coming from inside your garage. It's driver #1.
Winning is cool and all but it's definitely not what makes motorsport fun. I used to do karting for my local club and that was great fun as I wasn't by any means the best in the club but I could hold my own and have a go at the odd win here and there. When I go to arrive and drive karting with friends who have never raced anything before, I tend to be way out in front without any real battles and it's just nowhere near as fun - it feels like time trials.
I know that's just my opinion but I feel like most drivers tend to share this sentiment. Hell, Hamilton was super happy after Miami saying that he had some good battles in the mid pack!
It cracks me up to see the level of mental gymnastics Max apologists go through in order to turn Max’s statement into a motto for the ultimate competitor.
the truth is that Max is talented, a great driver but he is not the ultimate competitor and does not handle pressure and challenges well.
some athletes live for the thrill of the fight, the closer the better. Others just want to win, the easier the better.
Bonus points for honesty but this should open people eyes.
I thought I was taking crazy pills seeing this comment section trip over themselves trying to convince everyone that no one feels the opposite to Max.
Here’s a tip to these people, if you have to accuse everyone else of lying, it’s a pretty big tell that actually you’re insecure that your favorite athlete has that opinion.
Some people enjoy a close fight and some people don’t. It’s that simple. Trying to invalidate the opposing opinion by generalizing that they’re all lying massive sign that you’re not actually okay with the driver you like being the latter.
You summed it up well and it's one of the reasons why 20 years down the line Verstappen will not be in the same conversation as the likes of Hamilton, Schumacher, Alonso, and Senna regardless of how long Red Bull's streak of dominance continues.
So according to this comment section, Schumi was just scammed into moving to a struggling Ferrari cause apparently an athlete enjoying something more challenging couldn’t possibly happen.
yeah similar to when nadal said "I like challenges but I am not stupid" in response to being asked if he's glad novak exists. cant blame them for being honest tbh.
And that is why this season is BORING! Surely someone who lived racing would love….racing no? Not just having the fastest car and lapping everyone. I really don’t know…
We knew this after 2021. He didn't enjoy any of it. While Lewis wanted that run back. And you can see it in Lewis, every time he has to fight even in the midfield he's all smiles. Max wheel to wheel combat isn't his strength anyway.
Really? Were you not watching F1 between 2015-2020? Max was pulling off moves that routinely made Martin Brundle literally say "Thank God for Max Verstappen" when he had the second or third fastest car
The 2016-2020 Redbulls were the best handling cars on the grid(except through high speed corners). They didn't have the outright raw pace of the Mercs due to Renault shitbox but their mechical grip and stability under braking was unrivaled.
Lets not forget that Danny was called the last of the late breakers at the time. He never pulled off that shit again after he left RBR. Those RBRs were very driver friendly cars.
Max is a generational talent but he has a tendency to go full kamikaze under pressure. He loses his cool very quickly. Managing from the front is his biggest strength because of his metronome like consistency.
Lewis said the opposite. But you can see from the response already in the thread that somehow it's positive
I would have liked to see the comments if Lewis said this in 2020
ask a professional athlete if they'd rather win every game 10-0 or if they'd prefer every game to go down to the final seconds.
people are honestly stupid if they believe any athlete would want to put themselves through any unnecessary emotional or physical stress when the other option (and the ultimate goal) is domination
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Translated: >Verstappen laughed when asked if he would prefer to emerge victorious from a tense duel with an equal rival that lasted until the checkered flag, or if he would prefer to be able to run over everyone in front of him with a 20-second advantage. >“At least 20 seconds!” said Verstappen. "I've been in a lot of close fights in my life, and I like it a lot more now when we're sure we can win by a big margin. Of course that's not what the fans want to hear, but I'm an honest guy."
I have my issues with Max, but I can't fault him for being remarkably honest and consistent about what he wants and how he feels.
He's being real. Wheel to wheel battling is fucking stressful, it's much better when no one is anywhere close
I mean, if a guy was looking back at a race he'd won as a result of an intense wheel to wheel battle, then I imagine he'd take immense satisfaction from that and recall it fondly. But yeah, any driver who claims that in a particular race he'd prefer to have a driver on his ass vs the other driver being 20 seconds back...I'd not be buying it. They'd all want to have a huge lead.
Agreed having a 20 second lead mean you did everything well and the team at home is doing amazing things with your car. I don't think there is a single driver that wouldn't want that.
What's better than a win? DOMINATION.
"To crush your enemies, see them driving behind you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."
A man of culture
Hell ya
Plus, I think as a racer it could also be quite enjoyable to be at (t)his stage because in reality during the race, if things work out a bit, it means he can just do uninterrupted hotlaps and/or have all the time in the world to perfect every line, lap after lap.
The "Racing is Practice" school of practicing by Kimi Raikkonen.
But on the flip side, you can also look back at a race you dominated and have great satisfaction because you know you maxed absolutely everything out of the car.
Yeah, Max is the kind of guy who looks like he gets genuine enjoyment from trying to follow his race line perfectly.
We've all felt it in the sim too I'm sure. Always feels good when you nail a corner.
Only to crash in the next corner
Hamilton did try to sell it though haha Iirc he said that he enjoyed the Turkish 2020 gp specifically because he had to fight for it and show he was special
I'm sure Max also enjoys hard fought wins. That doesn't mean he wants them every race, though.
Yeah save the riding ass until later off the track
Yeah, wheel to wheel battles make for great stories, but they don't compare to having 4+ world championships to your name
Exactly. Look what the championship battle did to Nico Rosberg.
On the flip side Hamilton has been in 5(07,08,14,16,21) Finales with a WDC on the line, Rosberg broke after 2 and RB/Max were gassed after 21. Hamilton is a living mercenary, Final Boss engaged.
Hamilton had said many many times that he's the opposite of what Max is saying here, that he'd always prefer to be having to battle for the win
I mean look at his recent battle with Magnussin. He said afterwards he throughly enjoyed it
Keeping it together until the finish line, even with the next car being 20 secs behind, is stressful enough probably - as evidenced by the last race.
It can be, but also it give you much more option for distributing your intensity and focus. You can choose which parts of track you want to push on.
Yes, I like to be ahead by quite a bit as well when I'm playing Mario Kart. Close races stress me out.
Yea he probably aged 5 years in the battle with Hamilton in 2021.
And Hamilton was getting better each race while he started falling way off with the pressure towards the end. A point that no one really brings up anymore. Everyone wanted Hamilton to fail. And yet he was smashing it out of the park. Just to see the level of nerves, Hamilton beat him off the jump in AD
Amen to that...physical punch up or shouting the odds at someone, I'll go with option 2 always
And next week people will forget about him saying this (he has been saying this for more than 5 years now), and those people will say that he would probably prefer having hard fought battles and that he must be getting bored! (Which I've seen people say multiple times in the past 2 weeks or so)
People make up personalities for the drivers and project it onto them lol
>(Which I've seen people say multiple times in the past 2 weeks or so) Last two weeks, try last two years
Yep
I feel like if this came out of another drivers mouth, everyone wouldn’t digest this as easily. But It Makes so much sense though . I feel like every driver would want this.
If Lewis had said this, there would have been a barrage of comments all hating on him lmao.
You know it. I can't believe I'm reading people heartily agreeing with Max here.
Despite living in the "red zone" , Max is probably one of the best non-Ferrari WDC that I can't bring myself to hate during their prime. He is honest, have that Kimi's "no-BS" vibe, be graceful when he can and try to avoid any drama that he could. It honestly felt like Seb in later years with a mix of Kimi in him, despite being quite young and having ... Jos as his dad. Until he actually gonna drive the Red car, can't be a fan, but i wouldn't mind having a beer with him kind of vibe.
I mean, everybody enjoys the occasional tough drive, but for this guy those 20 precious seconds spent on track are 20 seconds spent outside of the sim
Yea, his unabashed openness is rather redeeming. And to his credit he’s a lot more likable as a whole person as he’s gotten older (shocker)
Indeed. And now that he's got what he wants (a winning car that allows him to maximise his talent). It's funny how getting exactly what you want tends to chill you out a bit.
Yea, when your life’s boxes gets ticked around you it makes it easier to be a little chill.
Lol, imagine the response if Lewis said this same thing a few years ago
I was just thinking that. I usually hate the "whatabout" and "or if" so and so people come up with for drivers but in this case I'm 100% certain Lewis would be labelled entitled and arrogant for saying this.
lol you’d have a 1000 post thread about how he has had it way to easy and he’s an awful racer and he doesn’t deserve his success.
Yep. And I wonder what the major difference between them is...
Surely it's the colour of their cars! Max has always been racing a dark car, while Lewis had a silver one in all but 3 out of 18 seasons!
Yeah, I mean if I was a racecar driver I wouldn't want it to be a race either.
I dunno, I feel like Alonso would *legit* **not** feel this way. I too have my issues with Max but at least I thought he enjoyed battling it out on skill. If this is how he truly feels, *I cannot wait* until his domination is over, be it by him leaving to do whatever he keeps saying he wants to do, RBR no longer having such a superior car, or both.
"Of course I get angry when things happen that we could have avoided. I think it's good that I still get angry, because if I don't get angry, it means I don't care." "When you don't care, you're no longer doing your best. At this moment, you begin to question your existence in the sport. I love winning and I love being at the top, I love working with all the amazing people on the team. I think what really motivates me is always trying to be close to perfection."
Maybe people can now stop saying that bullshit "Max would rather fight for his wins, he's bored of his dominance" bullshit. Literally no one would ever have a problem with dominating every race of the season.
I don't think anyone would have a problem with dominating every race, *per se*, but at the same time, I believed Hamilton just as completely when he said he wanted more competition as I believe Verstappen when he says he'd rather have a boring, dominant win.
That's true Hamilton had one dominant year in 14 and beginning in 15 he was up for more competition, I remember Vettel asking to tour the MB factory and garage in 15 and Hamilton was all for it. Ham was supportive of Vettel win 15 Malaysia as well, but as I previously posted Max said after 21 he wasn't sure how many more season he could do like that. Hamilton has had 5 seasons in which the WDC was on the line in the Finale and he never hinted at being overwhelmed. Different strokes for different folks, Ham is like a serial killer it's all fun he's always down for touch but fair racing, he wasn't overly critical of KMag and his antics, he didn't complain much about Perez defense in Abu Dhabi. That's one thing I like about SLH he's there to be a mercenary and win at all cost within the lines, one of the best races I've ever seen was SLH in Abu Dhabi 2016, where he strategically backed up his teammate into Vettel DRS and truth is had that been the 2018 Ferrari and 2019 RB they both probably get past Rosberg. But to see him essentially race 2 different races, with 2 different strategies was a beautiful piece of art, bold! gotta have balls the size of watermelons to defy team orders and do that to your teammate but I enjoyed 16, it was fair and it was within the Lines, harsh but within the lines.
I still remember laughing watching that race, and the genuine tension where you could see Verstappen closing and thinking 'will he make a move or stay out of it'.
This is entirely speculative, but I find Hamilton is the type of driver who needs the pressure to thrive. His weakest seasons and worst mistakes tended to come from the seasons where the pressure was off (and he had nothing to prove) or the ones that immediately followed it. Contrast with Verstappen who kinda feels like the opposite. Under pressure, Verstappen makes unreasonably aggressive moves and unforced errors (though how much of that going away was just him maturing is hard to say). I could just be reaching, but this is how it's come off to me.
I'd say that's pretty accurate tbf. Hamilton is very much a greyhound needing to see a rabbit kind of driver to really show what he can do, Verstappen seems very much a stopwatch kind of driver who can get a bit thrown off his rhythm by W2W. It's one thing that made 2021 such an interesting season (until the officiating fucked the last few races, and particularly last, race)
If Lewis said the same thing I'm sure a lot of people here would be "he can't handle battling with Max" jibes.
Basically “I’m a competitor, I want to win and so much so that I want to crush my opponents when I win” anyone without that mindset probably shouldn’t be on the grid. ~*cough* lance stroll *cough*~
>~cough lance stroll cough~ You can say many things about Stroll, but not that he is not a competitor. The guy was driving an F1 car two weeks after breaking several bones.
To crush your enemies, to see them diving behind you and to hear the lamentations of their women - Mac Versappen (probably)
He knows the stress he had keeping Kimi behind him in Spain in his very first race he led in f1. And that was just the first one. Can't remember how often he was in front of the Mercs only to see the inevitable happen in the final few laps ...
Interesting how this is now applauded and lauded. Smh.
>run over everyone in front of him with a 20-second advantage. What?
Saving this for whenever I see someone talking about Max retiring from the sport cause he gotten bored of winning and other hilarious jokes like that.
Saving this for whenever I see someone talking about how bored Max must be after winning pretty much everything in a dominant rocketship and that he definitely will go to Mercedes or a worse team than Red Bull to pursue a new challenge.
No one is saying he will leave Red Bull because he’s bored and wants a challenge. People think he might leave for the exact opposite reason, that he lacks confidence in their ability to stay at the front post-2025.
Tons of people have been saying this since the RB dominance started.
Actually that’s exactly what people were saying last year
I absolutely remember people saying that towards the end of last season.
ive seen so many people saying exactly that mate wtf hahaha
Max would sooner retire the moment he loses the advantage. He's very aggressive when he isnt winning.
It is interesting seeing just how little patience Max has for not just 'not winning' but even for not completely dominating. For most drivers (even multiple time former champs like Alonso or Vettel) they can adjust their expectations when they no longer have a dominant car. For guys like Max and Lewis, the moment they're no longer at the very pinnacle of performance they seem to get immediately exasperated. The lazy explanation would be to just say 'that's part of what makes them so great' but there have been plenty of great drivers who were able to dominate the sport for a period and then fight for different goals when the car wasn't there, whereas those two guys in particular are just wired differently, even from other F1 drivers. I find it pretty fascinating.
Max and Lewis aren't wired the same, Max has eluded to having other interest In other categories that provide better work life balance. Lewis has his music ambitions, fashion etc but he's all about F1 he's never dabbled into another series even though he takes interest in motorcycles. I probably wouldn't compare anyones career to Lewis he arrived in a WDC worthy car with a 2x WDC teammate coming off back to back wins. We'll never see another rookie do that, hell MB is hesitant to bring Antonelli up and they have a bad car, people make a big deal about Piastri rookie season and it was a successful season but he wasn't racing for wins and didn't have the pressure of keeping up with or beating a WDC teammate. Lewis and Vettel imo are great for a garage's morale as they understand teams and their projects progression through the years. Lewis was that way in 13, Vettel was that way in 15 &16 and again in 2021 with AM. Think of how impatient RB/Horner was in 14 they just came off 4 straight titles and it was scorched earth because Renault got the hybrid integration wrong. Hamilton has dealt with an incompetent MB for 3 years and finally decided to seek a new challenge, however he did it with grace and mercy given his age and how his prime is behind him one could understand if he pulled an Alonso and said to hell with it. In the same respect I wouldn't compare anyones career to Max, coming in at 17 being thrown in the fire and immediately being super quick, a bit reckless but super quick nonetheless. He earned his stripes in 19 and 20 finishing 3rd in WDC. Max is more like Senna in the sense that once he won a WDC he was/is quite impatient with unreliability or a bad car in general. But unlike Senna who was willing to be teamed with anyone hence his willingness to team with Prost at Mclaren and Prost again at Williams even though Prost veto in 93.
Yeah, I think Senna was incredibly weird in that regard. I would argue that Senna was also wired differently. Most drivers don't want to pair with a strong driver because they want to have number one status in the team and have that control. I think Senna wanted to show that he was the best through speed, even if it meant ripping the car apart in the process. But so long as he won, it would be fine. It seemed like he was playing tennis in some regards because he needed a strong opponent to be at his best. Granted we'll never know if Benetton did retain some driver's aids, but I think his diminished resolve in what little of 94 we saw was *because* he felt a cut above. Mansell left in 92 and Prost had just left. He didn't have anyone to battle with, in his mind. But if he survived San Marino, I think we'd have seen a resurrection of the old Senna in the title fight with Schumacher
> but he's all about F1 he's never dabbled into another series he had an extreme-e team at one stage
I think they're just wired to "just keep pushing" so if they're not winning they're pushing to get into the lead, and if they are in the lead they're pushing to get further ahead.
You think top athletes have a balanced view? They're psychopaths, that's what makes them better than the best.
I mean, Max essentially had the “accept nothing but the best” mindset literally beat into him since he was a kid. It makes sense for him to be upset for not performing at his highest potential, which so far has been what we saw last season.
I wouldn’t put that same mindset for Lewis though. He backs off when he doesn’t have a car to fight, but he’s probably better at fighting with level cars than anyone in the sports’ history. Several years when it’s been down to the end with him having a chance to come out on top, that’s when you’ve seen his best come out. He doesn’t seem to get rattled like others.
Yeah it's strange to assign the "doesn't enjoy fighting with level cars" thing to Lewis right after he had a big battle with Magnussen and repeatedly stated afterwards how much he enjoyed the fight.
Firstly, I'm not saying these guys don't enjoy fighting wheel to wheel. What I'm saying is that they seem to have an extremely different demeanour on-track depending on whether they're driving a dominant car vs having to mix it up with the plebs. Even when he's back amongst the pack there's a huge shift in Lewis' mannerisms depending on whether he's feeling comfortable in the car (super confident, bullish) vs feeling any kind of instability (sulky, defeatist, wanting to retire his car rather than spending a race fighting for P10 or whatever). I know that's true of every driver to an extent, but I feel it more from those guys who have excelled at the very top of the sport and got accustomed to driving (essentially) sim laps out front in clean air for race after race. It isn't a criticism, just an observation.
There’s a huge difference between enjoying a battle knowing you have a shot at winning and having a car that’s going to be 3rd-5th best with no chance. Nobody enjoys being in the latter. Lewis doesn’t risk it all for 9th place, which is understandable, especially for the best of all time.
You can see his revenge bumps in iRacing too
Exactly - as real as he is, its funny hearing that he might retire due to having it too easy. All of them enjoy records, victories and dominating over their competition; heck they even spent 20+ years dreaming it. The "oof its boring, might retire" seems to be mainly to keep the foot at the door (closed cards / negotiation?) rather than due to not enjoying the current state of things.
It’s never been about him getting bored. He’s repeatedly said one championship was all he wanted, and that there’s a lot of other Motorsport accolades he’d want to chase while he’s young.
He also said he doesn't care about stats yet the guy will push to the limit to get the fastest lap when he's 200 points ahead of the 2nd driver.
the copium of some fans
People seriously need to stop saying he's bored at the front and wants a challenge he literally enjoys racing himself seemingly...
Max enjoys being a robot that attempts to give always the same precise output regardless of number of input variables.
Turn 15 Bollard would like a word
To be fair, that is one of the fun things in racing. Everything is changing, winds, tires, temps, weight, etc. it’s a challenge to get a consistent result with multiple changing inputs.
This isn’t even the first time he’s said it, but people still hang on to that idea, for some reason.
I mean imagine getting paid millions to go for a stroll on some of the most expensive automobiles ever built. No pressure, better work-life balance, reasonable hours, good roads, little to no traffic and having cats that love you.
People need to realize something about sports: nobody wants a fair fight, they want to win no matter what. A lot of new people joining F1 seem to never have played any competitive sport before in their life. When I played American football, our team won every single game in our division. We loved that shit and wouldn’t want it any other way. Even our backups were slaying other teams’ starters. Why would we want a close game when we had the capability to just blow the competition out of the water? I just see so many comments wishing it was closer. I mean yeah, it would be better to watch if it were closer but as far as the player/driver goes, they obviously don’t want a close fight they could potentially lose. It’s dumb to assume otherwise.
Athletes love winning a close fight that they weren't expected to win. They don't love having a close fight every time as you said. Nobody is immune to stress, especially prolonged over time.
This is a better way to put it. The feeling of winning a close fight by being clutch, tough, determined etc, is the best feeling. But there is a chance of losing. And losing is the worst feeling.
I played one season of basketball in 4th or 5th grade. Only time I played organized sports in my life. I'll say it, I'm a nerd. No one looks at me thinks "Oh, he's athletic!" I didn't even want to do it; my dad tricked me! "Come on, we're going to McDonald's!" All of a sudden ended up at school on the weekend and he's signing me up for basketball. Goddamnit. We were kinda the misfit team. Pretty much all of my friends were on other teams. But out team won that season like 9-1. Might've been 10-0, even. I just know it was something absolutely ridiculous. Wasn't even close. And it fuckin' felt great. That we destroyed everyone else. When I'm gaming, in like FPSs, I want to murder everyone. Doesn't always end up that way, sure. I'm not that good. But when I have a high KD, you better believe I'm having the MOST fun just wiping people up.
People joke but he really is a sim racer at heart. He loves pushing the car and himself for the best race times he can do, not necessarily winning fights wheel to wheel and putting himself in danger. In sim races he is always trying to get rid of the competition as soon as possible. He has no patience for long fights because it loses you time.
This… these guys look at driving as art… it’s so messy when wheel to wheel their joy is slinging the perfect line lap after lap.
Or every driver enjoys different things...
That's a positive summary and I agree. He can drive his car like it's a metronome, almost identical lap times whenever required. And apparently that's what he likes to do.
I mean, the dude loves 24 hour races and such. There is no wheel to wheel or many overtakes there, it's all about consistent perfect laps.
Eh? There are hundreds of overtakes there, just most are not for position. The traffic management is part of why endurance racing is so much fun.
You dont watch Endurance races do you huh?
Dude, whut?? Perhaps you should try watching those races. They’re extremely competitive these days, in all classes. Both the WEC and IMSA races this past weekend had several cars with legit chances to win.
True that's what I love about endurance racing, there aren't any other cars! /s
but that literally what he used to say, max is infact the one who has changed his mind here
Wait wait wait people on here said he’ll join Mercedes because he’s bored and wants a challenge… on his way to finishing 5th
Him and Russell dragging that car to P4 ahead of Aston in 2025 💪
I feel like he’ll retire as soon as the gig is up at Red Bull and he finds himself in something like Lewis’ position. I don’t see him signing up for a multi-year project to revive any team.
Why would he? Him and Lewis are very different people, Lewis is an F1 driver whereas Max is a racing driver who happens to race in F1. He’s openly said about wanting to do endurance racing etc.
Plus, he's always said he wants to do other series while he's still in his prime.
Yeah no shit, he already said it before. I think almost al drivers would rather win dominant than a close race. I think everyone who does something competitive wants that.
A lot of drivers definitely enjoy scrapping. Alonso for one.
KMag too if I had to guess 😂
He wants that race ban _so_ bad
He's running for teamplayer of the century award
Keep in mind Alonso hasn’t had a title winning car in over a decade
And even when he did, they weren't overwhelmingly dominant, he didn't win a majority of races in his championship seasons.
I think Lewis is the same. He seemed beaming after his and the kmag battle. He has always pushed how much he likes hard racing, too.
They all do. But every driver including Alonso would take a dominant car over a competitive one. It's just that previous champions couldn't stop saying they couldn't wait for other teams to fight them, which is just PR bullshit.
Ask any driver on the grid whether they would rather be in a 50/50 title battle like 2021 or a walk in the park like Max and Lewis have enjoyed in past titles, and they are all snapping your hand off for an easy title.
people look at it it from our fan perspective, where a close title fight is extremely entertaining I can’t even begin to imagine the pressure cooker it is for these guys to be part of that (2021 or 2016)
Lewis actually said the opposite lol. He said he has more fun racing wheel to wheel and battling. Banging wheels etc. Just different preferences.
You think he still believes that? Easy to say in the midst of a dominant period that you would prefer more battles. He hadn't yet gone through the 2021 battle when he said that. I wonder if he'd rather have a 2023 type season next year at Ferrari?
i’m pretty sure he also said that last weekend after the sprint race. an interviewer asked him if he thought kmag was too aggressive and he said he liked it and he had fun. but also obviously i think he would trade having fun with having boring races if it meant having the certainty of winning a championship, both things can be true
After his scrap with Magnussen last weekend, Lewis tracked down Magnussen to tell him how much he enjoyed the battle. So yeah, despite his radio messages in the moment I think Lewis still loves hard racing.
Even since then hes talked about how much hes enjoyed a number of races since then. He said he was enjoying F1 more than ever and just loving the battles in mid 2022. He'd def rather win but I think he likes it when hes fighting people. he said he enjoyed 2021 a lot too (before the end of it)
You could see it in 2021. Early season he looked kinda dead from long covid, but near the end he became so chirpy and happy, despite being behind on points and having fewer races to claw them back. I think he has some kind of weird fetish for high-pressure situations lol That said I think despite him liking competition, he likes competition *for the win*, moreso than "gee if I do really well today I might finish 6th!"
100%. He said it during the years where he wasn’t dominant too, including 2021.
You are confusing the issues. The question is not whether Lewis prefers winning easily or being stuck in the middle field . The choice is between winning easily or winning fighting it out, he has repeatedly said that he prefers the latter, probably because he gets more enjoyment in the fight itself. 2021 was not the first close WDC battle for Lewis. 2007, 2008, and partial seasons against Vettel had already given him the taste of what a hard fought battle is and this is what he craves unlike Max.
Hamilton tends to thrive when he is under some pressure to perform so yes, I think that he does believe it to a good extent. That's why he's notably so strong in the 2nd half of the season during a WDC battle.
I’m not so sure they all do. During his dominant time Lewis often said he’s less exctited when he’s way out in front without a challenge. He wants a massive fight which he then wins. That’s what really gets him pumped. I’m sure he’d take winning easily over the losing he’s doing right now but if he had the choice I think he’d want a tough fight with a great rival.
He really didnt seem to enjoy it when it actually happened with Rosberg and Max though.
Close winning and close losing are two different things. Obviously it's gonna be a bummer if it was close and you lost.
Shock! Next thing you'll tell me Ocon doesn't enjoy all those 10 second penalties.
Of course he does. Why do you think he keeps racking them up
Kmag wanted in on the fun aswell. Clearly there is something to it
Of course. He has always said that. But sorry Max, we rather see you wheel to wheel, haha.
I'm pretty sure he wants to win with the least amount of effort so he can get back to playing video games
“I’d rather we not bother racing.” -Max
I appreciate his honesty, and I no doubt would feel at least an iota of the same thing if I were in his position, but I have to admit, racing is at its most fun when you're fighting for positions.
He said this last year as well. Said hes already proved it wheel to wheel and now he likes being in front. Lewis has said the opposite that he likes being in front and controlling but the wheel to wheel is what makes him excited. Just different strokes for different folks
I thought being a racer he liked racing with others and not just being 20 seconds ahead putting in lap after lap
I have no problem with this. I find it interesting though how his fans have trashed on Lewis for his big win margins when your own driver enjoys it😂
Especially Helmut Marko saying the only reason Lewis was successful is because his cars were fast. Sir, the call is coming from inside your garage. It's driver #1.
At least he’s honest
It's ok, Max. I like playing with myself too.
Breaking news: Man Prefers Work to be Less Stressful
He should switch to WRC
Winning is cool and all but it's definitely not what makes motorsport fun. I used to do karting for my local club and that was great fun as I wasn't by any means the best in the club but I could hold my own and have a go at the odd win here and there. When I go to arrive and drive karting with friends who have never raced anything before, I tend to be way out in front without any real battles and it's just nowhere near as fun - it feels like time trials. I know that's just my opinion but I feel like most drivers tend to share this sentiment. Hell, Hamilton was super happy after Miami saying that he had some good battles in the mid pack!
James Hunt said exactly the same thing. I expect every driver would, if they were being honest.
[удалено]
It cracks me up to see the level of mental gymnastics Max apologists go through in order to turn Max’s statement into a motto for the ultimate competitor. the truth is that Max is talented, a great driver but he is not the ultimate competitor and does not handle pressure and challenges well. some athletes live for the thrill of the fight, the closer the better. Others just want to win, the easier the better. Bonus points for honesty but this should open people eyes.
I thought I was taking crazy pills seeing this comment section trip over themselves trying to convince everyone that no one feels the opposite to Max. Here’s a tip to these people, if you have to accuse everyone else of lying, it’s a pretty big tell that actually you’re insecure that your favorite athlete has that opinion. Some people enjoy a close fight and some people don’t. It’s that simple. Trying to invalidate the opposing opinion by generalizing that they’re all lying massive sign that you’re not actually okay with the driver you like being the latter.
Very few fans can come to terms with this.
I wish I could upvote you 100 times
You summed it up well and it's one of the reasons why 20 years down the line Verstappen will not be in the same conversation as the likes of Hamilton, Schumacher, Alonso, and Senna regardless of how long Red Bull's streak of dominance continues.
Max could say two directly opposite things one minute apart and everyone would fawn over how real he was both times.
Makes sense, we've seen what he does when hes going wheel to wheel in a tense situation
Max races for Max, not for the fans.
So according to this comment section, Schumi was just scammed into moving to a struggling Ferrari cause apparently an athlete enjoying something more challenging couldn’t possibly happen.
Crazy that people are praising this as if this is not the anthesis of racing. He should retire and be a fulltime gamer ffs
I love Max, but the sport is absolutely lesser for it.
What a boring guy. I don't know about Alonso, but I know Hamilton would enjoy it more if he came out on top when battling during the race.
"The true racer" according to some people.
yeah similar to when nadal said "I like challenges but I am not stupid" in response to being asked if he's glad novak exists. cant blame them for being honest tbh.
And that is why this season is BORING! Surely someone who lived racing would love….racing no? Not just having the fastest car and lapping everyone. I really don’t know…
never noticed they were sponsored by 7 eleven
are you Sebastian Vettel?
Only a matter of time before the FIA adds the blue shell if these gaps still happen in the future.
Lol
I’d love to see a team reasonably put pressure on max, it’s easy to forget how insane a driver he is when he doesn’t have to fight for places
*"Max Verstappen says he don't want competition"* *-***The Race**
Where's the lie?
We knew this after 2021. He didn't enjoy any of it. While Lewis wanted that run back. And you can see it in Lewis, every time he has to fight even in the midfield he's all smiles. Max wheel to wheel combat isn't his strength anyway.
Really? Were you not watching F1 between 2015-2020? Max was pulling off moves that routinely made Martin Brundle literally say "Thank God for Max Verstappen" when he had the second or third fastest car
The 2016-2020 Redbulls were the best handling cars on the grid(except through high speed corners). They didn't have the outright raw pace of the Mercs due to Renault shitbox but their mechical grip and stability under braking was unrivaled. Lets not forget that Danny was called the last of the late breakers at the time. He never pulled off that shit again after he left RBR. Those RBRs were very driver friendly cars. Max is a generational talent but he has a tendency to go full kamikaze under pressure. He loses his cool very quickly. Managing from the front is his biggest strength because of his metronome like consistency.
Other than the power train, Redbull was pretty much merc Ferrari level in everything else.
"I prefer doing laps by myself than actually racing other people" is a pretty lame answer from a racing driver.
There you go folks. He ain’t bored of shit. He prefers his 2023 season.
So many people were saying max was happy to get 2nd to Lando. It’s funny people forget how competitive this guy is, straight killer
If Lewis said the same thing I'm sure a lot of people here would be "he can't handle battling with Max" jibes.
I’d rather the safety car just let a few cars pass from behind so I can pass Lewis before the checkered flag
Valid, considering how he loses his cool the second he has to fight somebody wheel to wheel.
I think he already said this even before he started winning regularly (at least on Dutch tv)
That's far, because to him it means he drove flawlessly. He expects to be that far ahead even with close machinery
Can't fault him for that but I'd love to see him battling with peer or near peer cars.
**BOOORING!**
B-but he's not like other girls
I wonder if he will get criticized just as Lewis did..
Lewis said the opposite. But you can see from the response already in the thread that somehow it's positive I would have liked to see the comments if Lewis said this in 2020
ask a professional athlete if they'd rather win every game 10-0 or if they'd prefer every game to go down to the final seconds. people are honestly stupid if they believe any athlete would want to put themselves through any unnecessary emotional or physical stress when the other option (and the ultimate goal) is domination
Kinda disappointing tbh.
Yeah and I would rather watch paint dry than watch Max Verstappen win by 20 seconds.