Max from Austin: 'Every race is important'

Published on 18 October 2024 by Misha van der Kroon

After a four-week break, the Formula 1 circus returns to the United States for a sprint race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas. “It was a relaxed time, in which I took my rest and did fun things. It was really nice,” says Max from Austin, Texas.

Oracle Red Bull Racing has brought new parts for the RB20. “We try to improve every race weekend and keep doing that,” says Max. “I just want to have fun and try to do the best I can. Every race is important, so of course this one is, too. We want to do well here. We will see what the upgrades we have will do to the car. But there are also a lot of changes to the track. With the new tarmac, it will be a little less bumpy. Regarding the grip, I don’t know. Tyre degradation will also be different, so we just have to see what we learn in FP1.”

Because of the sprint race, there will only be one free practice, in which not only the new parts have to be tested, but also a set-up for the qualifying and races has to be found. “You have to rely more on the data,” Max explains. “It’s a bit more hectic to do everything in one training session. You try to find the right balance and set-up as quickly as possible. We depend a lot on the data, from which the engineers have to determine how well the upgrades are working.”

Max is currently 52 points ahead of Lando Norris in the championship. But with six Grands Prix weekends to go, three of which also have sprint races, there are still many points to be awarded. Max responds: “We lack quite a bit of speed at the moment and we have to go at it step by step. There are not that many races left, but I am still confident that we can have good races. At every track, it will be different. Hopefully we have a positive weekend here and we are more competitive than the last few races.”

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