Max: "I'm happy at Red Bull"
Published on 24 May 2017 by Stefan Meens
In between his Formula 1 demos at the Jumbo Racing Days, Max Verstappen reflected on hisF1 season so far and Red Bull Racing’s progress.
Max explains the first time he drove the RB13. “You quickly get a sense if things are good. In this case, it wasn’t perfect, but we’re working hard to close the gap. In the Barcelona things looked a lot better. In qualifying we made a big step, but we weren’t able to show our potential in the race. We’re constantly designing new things, so we’ll have new parts on the car in Monaco.
The disappointing start to the season has not led to lower morale. “I feel great. It’s a super team to be a part of. Maybe we’re not fastest at the moment, but within the team everything is going well.”
A potential move to Mercedes is therefore unlikely, even though Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is a big fan of the young Dutchman. “I’m sticking with my contract. It’s normal to keep in touch with people, and Toto is a really nice guy. But at the moment I’m at the right place at Red Bull.
The team recently announced that Adrian Newey is now fully dedicated to developing the RB13, after the legendary designer took a step back in the run up to the season. “That’s great news. I mean, he has to. Every time I’m in Milton Keynes I hardly have time to talk to Adrian because he’s always drawing and designing so that’s really positive. Every time we have meetings, he is there, instantly taking notes. He’s a really clever guy, so we’ll see.”
Newey is not the only one taking notes. Max carefully analyses his races. “Straight after the race, you have a briefing. We look at how the race went, how the balance of the car felt we look at things to improve. You don’t just look at your own performance but also at everyone else’s. I usually rewatch the races, but it depends on if I have time or I have to catch a flight. But usually I rewatch them.
Having access to his team mate’s data is beneficial in analyzing and improving. “He also sees my data, so we learn from each other. I mean you always try to keep it a little bit of a secret until the final run in qualifying. That’s the trick.”
Regardless, the cooperation between Max and Daniel is crucial to close the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes. “If you’re not fighting for the win, it’s more important to work together well.” Team order are therefore not on the agenda. “We don’t use those, as we could see in Malaysia last year and China this year. Of course, when we are on different strategies or different tyres, we’ll let each other pass as there’s no point holding each other up. As long as we don’t touch, it’s all good.”
The next race on the calendar is Monaco, a race in which rain could be a factor. “Rain would be nice, but not necessary. I feel good so I don’t mind if it rains. Last year wasn’t my best weekend, but I’ve learned a lot. Hopefully we can do better this year. The updates are ready, so hopefully we’ll have gained a few tenths. We were quickest in the last sector at Barcelona, with a lot of slow corners. Monaco only has slow corners. So who knows, it might be a very positive weekend for us.”
