Max clinches his first single seater victory in Palm Beach
Published on 06 February 2014 by Stefan Meens
Max Verstappen took his first single seater victory in only his second full motorsport event. The 16-year-old led from pole position to take the win in race 3 of the Florida Winter Series round at the Palm Beach International raceway.
The world and double European champion karting, for whom 2014 will be his debut year in motorsport, is delighted with his first win: "I'm very happy with this victory as I struggled with gearbox problems during the race and I was under pressure from start to finish". The win rounds up a good event for Max as he managed to finish second in the first Palm Beach race on Tuesday, starting from third. He also scored a solid seventh in race 2, from ninth on the grid.
Max in his scarlet red Tatuus FA010B Formule Abarth
The Wednesday saw the final two races of the event scheduled. The starting grid for race 2 is determined by the reverse results of race 1. As Max finished second in the first race, his first motorsport podium, he starts race 2 from ninth. The Dutch youngster has a clean get go and straight away progresses to seventh position behind Tatiana Calderon. Nicholas Latifi leads the race starting from fourth. In lap four, both Max and Calderon overtake Vasily Romanov.
Ed Jones joins the duo and increases the pressure on Max. In lap seventeen Jones passes Max which means the Dutchman is now in seventh, the position in which he finishes the race. After 25 laps, Latifi takes the chequered flag with FIA European Formula 3 champion Raffaele Marciello and Lance Stroll completing the podium.
Max takes us through his race: "I had a good start overtaking two cars. However the drivers in front of me were all on fresh tyres, which on this rough surface, makes a huge difference. We chose to keep our new tyres for race 3, so I struggled throughout the second race, despite some set-up chances to save the tyres. In the end it didn't work out as we intended."
Apart from a fast driver, Max is a fast learner
Meanwhile the temperature in Florida had risen to thirty degrees with a high chance of rain. The organisation therefore decides to bring the start of race 3 forward by ninety minutes. It would prove to be the right decision.
Verstappen junior starts from pole position as he set a commanding pole time on Tuesday, his second in four qualifying session. He has a good start and retains the lead, followed by Antonio Fuoco who takes second position of Ed Jones. In the first half a dozen laps, the trio remains closely together. As Max and Fuoco lose some time in the first sector of lap eight, Jones reclaims second.
Max: "I was defending my position against Fuoco, who stayed on the inside of the track which meant Jones overtook Fuoco on the outside." As the race rolls on, the British youngster keeps up the pressure on Max, constantly keeping the gap within a second. The fact that Max resisted the pressure of the European F3 Open Championship champ is a confidence boost and valuable experience for the young Dutchman.
With seven minutes left on the clock and the drivers in their eighteenth lap, the safety car joins the track as a result of a crash in turn five. Two laps later, with the field still behind the safety car, the raceway finds itself in the middle of a heavy downpour. The race is stopped meaning Max Verstappen has his first win in motorsport in the bag! Meanwhile, Jones held on to second with Dutchman Dennis van de Laar occupying the last podium spot.
Max gifted his first two trophies to his mechanic and engineer
"From lap two I experienced gearbox issues", explains Max, as it became apparent the rapid Dutchman lost a lot of speed in the final sector. "Every time I wanted to shift up, I had to take my foot of the throttle whereas normally you just keep your foot down. It meant I lost several meters on the long straight, luckily it wasn't quite as big of an issue in the first two sectors. That I was able to take this win, despite these issues, makes me even happier!"
Eventful races like these are crucial in the learning and maturing process of young drivers, like Max. "When you are leading the race it is vital to keep a constant pace without making mistakes, which means you can control. But you always have to be aware of potential overtaking manoeuvres and locations when you are under pressure so you can successfully defend your lead." Without a doubt, the Florida Winter Series round at Palm Beach is therefore another crucial experience for Max as he hones his race craft with every passing event.
The Homestead Speedway will host the remaining two rounds of the Florida Winter Series. The drivers will face two different track lay-outs. Round three will take place February 12-14 and the final event February 17-19.
Results day 3 (Wednesday February 5) – Palm Beach International Raceway – Florida Winter Series:
Results race 2
Results race 3
You can find the photo album of Max in Palm Beach here or select in the left hand side of this page the section "Foto's Max".
