Max Verstappen very disappointed after strong Formula 1-debut

Published on 15 March 2015 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen made his debut in the Formula 1 by producing a solid race. On the track of Albert Park, in Melbourne, the 17-year old Dutchman drove a decent race, but due to engine issues, failed to see the checkered flag. At the start of the Grand Prix on Sunday, Verstappen wrote history by becoming the youngest F1-driver ever. “I am very disappointed how this ended”, says Max immediately after the race. “I could have taken sixth.”

Although Verstappen qualified twelfth on Saturday, he gets to start from the eleventh spot on the Australian street circuit. All because Valtteri Bottas pulls a no show as a result of a back injury. Also, after the formation lap, a gap is created behind the Dutchman, as Daniil Kvyat pulls his car to the side of the track with some gearbox issues.

When the lights go out, it is Pastor Maldonado who hits the wall right after turn one. An innocent victim from the clashing between Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Nasr. The latter runs wide and his Sauber kisses Maldonado’s Lotus, which brings out the safety car for a brief moment.

Raikkonen is the first in this year’s race season to start off the pit stops, which puts Max in eight position. He is trailing his team mate Carlos Sainz by some six seconds, who is ahead on the softs. Not much later, the Spaniard’s pit stop goes sour, when his left rear refuses to budge, making him lose half a minute. Slowly but surely, Max is increasing his lead on Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India.

In lap 33, Max is one of the last drivers to come in for his pit stop. His choice of tyres, sees him briefly take the fifth spot, but his pit stop puts him back in ninth. His new set of tyres is unable to give him some form of enjoyment, in the very first lap after having pitted,; the Dutchman is forced to retire his Scuderia Toro Rosso. Having driven a solid race so far, his engine fails.

“I am very disappointed at this outcome”, Max reports to Verstappen.nl right after the race. “It was going very well and if I could have continued, I could have ended in sixth position. My rhythm was ok, it is a pity all went south after the pit stop.” The true nature of the engine failure, causing Max to drop out, is not yet apparent. “Smoke was bellowing out of the engine, but we still do not know what exactly triggered it. Therefore it is pointless to get angry.”

How was your race before the problems? “The start was reasonable and I kept out of trouble. The first run on the mediums also went very well. Everyone was on the soft compound and I could reasonably keep up with them. My race actually started on the soft compound, but then my engine quit. Strategically, I think we made a good choice by starting on the medium and then progress on to the softs. Did you sense something was about to happen? “Right after the pit stop, after about two corners, the car started smoking and losing drive.” Max is looking forward to the next Grand Prix, in two weeks’ time in Malaysia: “I will be training there to prepare myself for the weather. That will be a tough race.”

Even Raikkonen fails to finish: during his second pit stop, the left rear cannot be released from the car. By mistake the Fin is sent out again, forcing the Ferrari driver to park his car alongside the track after a few corners. In front, Lewis Hamilton drives commandingly to victory. He keeps his team mate, Nico Rosberg, reasonably easy at bay. Vettel finishes “best of the rest” trailing the Mercedes in more than 30 seconds. Demonstrating the gap between the top and the rest of the field.

The final results of the Grand Prix of Australia

     Name        Team         Race Time
1    Hamilton    Mercedes
2    Rosberg     Mercedes     +1.3 secs
3    Vettel      Ferrari      +34.5 secs
4    Massa       Williams     +38.1 secs
5    Nasr        Sauber       +95.1 secs
6    Ricciardo   Red Bull     +1 Lap
7    Hulkenberg  Force India  +1 Lap
8    Ericsson    Sauber       +1 Lap
9    Sainz       Toro Rosso   +1 Lap
10   Perez       Force India  +1 Lap
11   Button      McLaren      +2 Laps
Ret  Raikkonen   Ferrari
Ret  Verstappen  Toro Rosso
Ret  Grosjean    Lotus
Ret  Maldonado   Lotus
Ret  Kvyat       Red Bull
Ret  Magnussen   McLaren