Max looks ahead: 'It's my tenth year in F1, I know what I'm doing'

Published on 31 October 2024 by Stefan Meens

Ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the last race weekend of a triple header that included the US and Mexican Grands Prix, Max Verstappen addressed the media in the Interlagos paddock.

When asked if the time penalties the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver received during the Mexican Grand Prix would change his approach in the future, the Dutchman replied: “I’ve heard this so often in my career. This is my tenth year in Formula 1, so I think I know what I’m doing. Some people are just annoying. I know who those people are, and I don’t really pay attention to it. I’ve got to this point in my career with the right people around me and by my making my own decisions. So, I know what I’m doing.”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, which features a sprint, Max is potentially looking at serving a grid penalty if the team has to change the power unit in his RB20. “I’ve not heard anything yet, it’s not discussed, but I know that I’ll have to take one at some point, so we’ll see.”

Based on the second half of the season, Red Bull appears to struggle more in the races then in qualifying, something Max hopes to address in the remaining races, starting at Interlagos. “It’s been like this for a large part of the season. It’s difficult to explain why, but I think it’s up to us. We’ll see, but we’ll try to be as competitive as possible. Every track will be different. There’s new tarmac here, so that always raises a couple of question marks.

The engine problems affecting Max during Friday practice in Mexico, hampered the lap times in the remainder of the weekend. “In general, we lacked a bit of speed, but we could’ve done a lot better. Unfortunately, we couldn't really understand how to do that in the long runs. It’s painful when you’re in a close fight with several teams and you know you’re behind. You really have to get the most out of the car and we didn’t in Mexico.”

Contest GP Brazil: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!