Max in Melbourne: 'I feel good and relaxed'

Published on 05 March 2026 by Stefan Meens

Ahead of the opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Max Verstappen reflects on winter testing and previews the year ahead.

“The tests were good” said Max in the Albert Park paddock. “It was a proud moment for everyone to see the car and power unit come together. I was positively surprised by it all. We did a lot of laps and there isn’t much that could’ve gone better.”

Nevertheless, the Dutchman does not expect to be fastest. “We have work to do, we won’t be quickest, but I knew to expect that”, Max said realistically. “It’ll be a big learning curve, especially in the first few races. But unexpected things always happen in Formula 1, so we’ll see.”

With the immense regulations changes on both the chassis and power unit front, it is difficult to establish a pecking order after nine days of testing. “Not everyone has shown their hand of course, so we don’t know where we stand. You can’t say that things that were good or bad last year, are the same now. The cars are just so different, so it doesn’t really matter what a team did last year.”

The four-time champ is therefore not looking at one team in particular. “No, that’s not something I do. I focus on what we do, I don’t care what anyone else does. We also don’t need to make it more complicated than it is. It doesn’t matter which car I’m in or if I’m driving a shopping cart; I will always drive to the limit of what’s possible. It’s as simple as that. It’s got an accelerator, brakes and a steering wheel, so I’ll drive it to the limit.”