Max Verstappen has not been world champion for two years, and he does not particularly care who reminds him.

Ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix on 8 November, the Red Bull driver was asked by Dutch reporters whether he still considered himself F1’s number one. His answer was one line.

“I always think so. Otherwise, I’d quit.”

The reply came after 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli had wrapped up the 2026 drivers’ title at the Mexico City Grand Prix, his third-place finish securing the championship with three races still to run.

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Verstappen won that race in Mexico. He then finished second in Brazil after starting 21st following a 30-place engine-related grid penalty.

The rank he keeps in his own head

Verstappen told the Dutch outlets that his own assessment has not shifted since his F1 debut at 17 in 2015. He knew he still had learning to do back then, he said, but he already thought he could reach the top.

“I certainly had it in my head that I had the potential to be the best.”

He rated his 2026 campaign a strong one on his own terms, with the usual caveat about the car underneath him, and pointed to Red Bull’s late-season climb as the reason the results have followed.

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Three wins in four grands prix

Victories in Bahrain, Singapore and Mexico City have given Verstappen three wins in the last four grands prix and lifted him into second in the drivers’ standings on 279 points, 17 clear of George Russell and 18 clear of Lewis Hamilton after Brazil. Lando Norris, the 2025 champion, won Sunday’s race at Interlagos and sits sixth on 246 points.

Antonelli leads the standings on 390 points and, together with Norris, has taken the last two titles. Oscar Piastri sits seventh on 152 points. Verstappen’s claim to be F1’s best is no longer the statement of a reigning champion; it is a statement in opposition to the result.

Las Vegas next

The Las Vegas Grand Prix on 21 November opens the final triple-header of 2026, with Qatar and Abu Dhabi to follow. Verstappen holds the Strip’s lap record and starts the weekend with the fight for second in the drivers’ championship still live.

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