Max Verstappen has singled out the race in which he felt the greatest pressure to win during the 2023 Formula 1 season.
It was almost a complete dominance for the 26-year-old as he secured victory in 19 out of 22 races, establishing a new record for the most wins in a single season and achieving an 86% win rate.
Verstappen also set a new record for the most consecutive wins, claiming eleven victories in succession between the Miami and Italian Grands Prix.
However, some of these victories were far from straightforward, notably when he had to start from the midfield positions at the Monza and Spa Francorchamps races.
When questioned about the most challenging win out of the 19, Verstappen, speaking to the media shared his thoughts: "It has a lot to do with track conditions or whatever," the Dutch driver said as quoted by RacingNews365.
"For example, the race in Zandvoort, when you're driving on slicks and it's raining."
"I normally enjoy driving in the wet, but I also know that I'm leading the championship and if I go off and I'm stuck you lose a lot of points."
The slippery track conditions proved treacherous, resulting in Zhou Guanyu's crash and a close call for Charles Leclerc with the barriers.
Several drivers faced a challenging decision at the beginning as they began with dry tyres and later had to switch to Intermediates.
Verstappen dropped to fourth initially, needing to battle through the field to regain the top position from his teammate Sergio Pérez. Eventually, he secured a clear path to victory in front of his home crowd after a late red flag.
"Naturally, you're always driving a little bit under the limit, but that can be, in a way, dangerous as well," said Verstappen.
"So when I was out there on slicks, you feel a bit pressured. Sometimes there are people behind you that are a bit faster, because they have nothing to lose.
"It's a very different mindset as well that you're in when you are fighting for a championship."
The Dutch driver extended his lead by 138 points ahead of Sergio Pérez after the race, positioning himself to potentially secure his third title later in the season in Qatar.
When reflecting on the races he cherished winning the most, Verstappen had a variety of options to consider: "I think my win in Miami I really enjoyed."
"Spa, Zandvoort, but also Suzuka, like, winning the Constructors’ for example with the team there was fantastic. It's difficult to really pick one, to be honest."