Max cautious ahead of Sakhir GP: 'The lay-out is unique and a new challenge'
Published on 03 December 2020 by Stefan Meens
During Thursday’s FIA press conference, Max Verstappen previewed the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix as well as reflected on Romain Grosjean’s horror crash during the Bahrain GP.
“It was a frightening crash”, said Max. “Luckily the safety of the Formula 1 cars has dramatically improved through the years. It was unbelievable he was able to get out and walk away with relatively minor injuries. I have a lot of respect that Romain is eager to get back as fast as he can. It shows he is a real racer and I appreciate that.”
The French Haas driver had been discharged from hospital on Wednesday and visited the paddock on Thursday. Nevertheless, upcoming weekend’s race comes to soon for Grosjean. His replacement will be Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi.
Another driver to miss the Sakhir GP is Lewis Hamilton after testing positive for the covid-19 virus. Williams’ George Russell will replace Hamilton at Mercedes, with F2 driver Jack Aitken taking Russell’s seat.
Without the seven-time World Champion lining up on the grid this Sunday, it appears that Max’ chances for the win have gone up. However, the Dutchman remains realistic: “On this version of the track, it will be difficult for us. Lewis might not be there, but Valtteri (Bottas) and George (Russell) are, and they drive the quickest car. So I don’t expect and easy run.”
This weekend’s Grand Prix circuit features an new lay-out, a mere 3.5 km long and mainly consisting of straights. Max: “That will help the cars with a lot of power, so I expect it will be a bit more challenging for us than last weekend. But this new lay-out is unique and presents a new challenge, so let’s see what awaits us.”
At the end, Max had a small encouragement for George Russell: “Just enjoy it. The difference will be night and day driving that car, in a good way. I had the same when I switched to Red Bull Racing. There is a lot to learn, but when I first hit the track, I was surprised how big the difference was. You don’t realise that.”
Contest GP Sakhir: win a Max Verstappen RB12 Japan 1:43 scale model!
