Max in Monza: 'We can be more competitive'
Published on 29 August 2024 by Stefan Meens
Ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen addressed the media in the Monza paddock. After finishing second at the Dutch Grand Prix last week, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was asked about the development of the RB20.
“We really need to focus on ourselves and work on the balance of the car. It’s something we’ll work on this weekend, as it’s not something that’s easily fixed. We’ve got a couple of theories so we’ll work with that. Some things we’ll be able to address this year, some things we won’t be able to do; we need to keep that in mind.”
After a challenging weekend in front of his home crowd, Max remains realistic for the remainder of the season, which consists of nine Grands Prix and three sprint races: “There a variety of circuits coming up, so hopefully we’ll be able to do better. I don’t expect us to struggle as much as in Zandvoort. Last week just wasn’t a good weekend and we didn’t have the pace. Nevertheless, we finished second, so it’s not all bad. But we do want more. We want to win races, or at the very least be able to compete.”
The changing weather conditions on the Dutch coast hampered Red Bull’s development of their 2024 racer. “We wanted to try some stuff but because of the wind and rain we didn’t do as many laps, so we really didn’t get a clearer picture. That’s why I used the old floor to see how that would work over a race distance. That gave us a lot of answers. In Monza we’ll have the new floor again.”
The high speed Autodromo Nazionale di Monza always provides a challenge for the teams and drivers, but this year even more so. “The track has undergone resurfacing, has new kerbstones and a changed layout. So all our previous reference points are there for void, so we’ll have to see how our car adapts", explained the reigning champion.
After a strong start to the season, Max has not been able to win in the last five races. Nevertheless, the Dutchman still relishes the challenge of F1. “Of course I would like to win more, but I’m still enjoying it. It’s not realistic to have another dominant year like in 2023. Having said that, I didn’t expect to have a year like this with the way we started and where we are now.”
Max heads the championship with a gap of 70 points to second placed Lando Norris. “Ultimately, I just do my best. If I win the title or not, it’s not going to change my life. Of course I want to win. We’ll try to improve the car, but I don’t know if it’s enough at the end of the year. However, I’m certain we are doing everthing we can to improve.”
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