Three-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has suggested that the dominance of Red Bull's car cannot be measured against other cars, denying that the pace of the RB19 was the main reason for his 2023 dominance.
He has said that he's 'not interested in the opinion of others', as the Dutchman refused to get into a discussion about his talent compared with other drivers.
Verstappen cruised to his third successive title in 2023, and broke multiple records along the way - including the record for the most amount of race wins in a single season (19).
Alongside team-mate Sergio Perez, the pair claimed every single race victory barring one throughout the season and wrapped up the championship double for their Red Bull team for the second year in a row.
Red Bull's historic car
Team principal Christian Horner recently described the RB19 as the 'most successful car in F1 history', prompting discussions about how much of Verstappen's success was down to the car.
“I’m not interested in the opinions of others," he told AMuS.
"They don’t know our car. I just try to get the best out of it. And I do that every time.
“I don’t know how dominant this car is compared to previous cars. Nobody knows that.
“I tune the car the way I like it. And the other driver tunes it to suit him. The engineers develop the car to make it faster. And not how I would like it to be.
“It’s the same with the driving style. What is your driving style? I don’t know.
“I adapt to the needs of the car to make it the fastest. That’s the key to being a really good Formula 1 driver. Adapting to what you get from the team.”