Engine penalty motivates Max even more
Published on 21 August 2015 by Stefan Meens
After the first two free practice sessions of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen got the news that his Renault power unit needs to be changed. As it is his sixth engine, the replacement results in a 10-place grid penalty. “It's a real shame, to start so far back in front of my home crowd. We had a 'misfire' today but I don't think that was the only reason we need to replace it”, explains Max who adds that he will face another grid penalty in Sochi. There, Renault is introducing a new power unit. In order for Toro Rosso to use it, they thus have to replace yet another engine.
Nevertheless, Max stays highly motivated. “After my good race in Hungary I arrived here with a lot of confidence. Obviously I’m disappointed but it will make things more exciting as I have to overtake more. Of course I want to start near the front but now I'm even more motivated to score points. During free practice I was able to overtake people, also during the long runs. So I think we have a chance to move up the order, even on a dry track.”
In terms of qualifying, Max is still eager to do well, despite the significant grid drop. “It's going to be more important than ever to reach Q3. But it's going to be difficult. A good lap in Q1 is essential because it's going to be tough enough to get into Q2. It's going to be close, but I'll give it my all.”
Scuderia Toro Rosso is not the only party disappointed with a day like today. “Renault aren’t happy either. They apologise but I'm the one who gets the penalty. There's no point in me shouting at them, that won't solve a thing. We try to work together but at the moment I'm not happy”, reveals Max.
“It's a shame how it all unfolds. After problems earlier on in the season, I'm using my sixth engine. That's disappointing but I cant change it. I want the problems to be over but I know Renault are doing everything to fix it and I'm confident in that. In Sochi we'll get more power, which is the main thing. The improvements can affect a lot of factors, not just the engine but also the turbo and battery capacity. Hopefully we can close the gap to the teams in front of us. That would help Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
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You can find the schedule for the Belgian Grand Prix here.
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