Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso are all world champions. While Max won his maiden title last year, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have managed to become household names by winning consecutive four and two times champion, respectively. Thanks to their years and experience in the ruthless sport, the old timers have a few things to say to the defending champion.

As many believed, Max had nothing to lose in 2021 as he was chasing the title. And on the other hand, Lewis had every to lose. However, for the upcoming 2022 season, the tables have turned, and it is Max who would be under pressure, defending his crown.

In light of this, the former Red Bull driver, Sebastian Vettel, has come to motivate the present Red Bull driver. Talking about this, Vettel conveyed, “I think it’s a boost, it takes a lot of weight, in a way, off your shoulders. But it’s a great feeling to start the season as world champion. You have the number one on your car, so it’s a privilege. I think we would all like to be in that position. It can only be one of us, and yes, I didn’t see it as an extra burden. If anything, it was a boost.”

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Fernando Alonso is another renowned name in the sport. The 2005 and 2006 champion further asserted on this, “I think if anything you will have less pressure because you’ve already accomplished one of your dreams. And from now on it’s more fun. You go into races knowing you’re world champion already once and you always try to fight for championships and add numbers to that. But I think if anything, he should have less pressure.”

Would Max Verstappen be under pressure?

For starters, Max Verstappen is to defend his title against a resilient Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes. Max denied him the title last year in the infamous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As the Briton returns, he warned that he’ll return hard.

Moreover, Verstappen now has #1 as his car number in the memory of his first-ever title. But that’s not all. The Flying Dutchman also has a new $50 million contract with the Austrian team. So the stakes are much higher.

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In the new season, the cars are expected to be more closely matched with each other. As things stand, Max has some gritty days ahead. Hence, it’ll be interesting to see if he can stay cool and overcome the pressure.