Max: “After three laps, I took Eau Rouge flat out”

Published on 21 August 2015 by Stefan Meens

The legendary atmosphere surrounding Spa-Francorchamps has not escaped Max Verstappen. “Despite this being my home track, I haven’t raced here that often”, says Max talking to the Dutch press. “But it's nice to be here in Belgium. It's a lot better than having to fly for ten hours. It's also great to see all the fans with their Dutch flags, to see them cheer you on. It's great to see both the Dutch and the Belgians enthusiastic.

Even more satisfying than the support is racing at Spa itself. “Eau Rouge is brilliant. Even though we go flat out, the dip and rise throughout the section is special. And it's not easy to take it full throttle. If you make a small mistake, the car steps out, especially in a heavy car full of fuel. It's still flat out, but on the limit.”

Despite his relative inexperience at Spa, the 17-year-old rookie got the hang of the circuit quickly. “After three laps, I took Eau Rouge flat out. The car felt good, especially if you consider how little downforce we used as we try to compensate for the time lost on the straights.

Another special corner that has a prominent place in every racer's heart is Pouhon. “It's a great corner, you can enter it with a lot of speed. In an F3 car it's more fun because you can just about take it flat out. In a Formula 1 car, you have to drop a gear because you arrive at the corner with much more speed compared to Formula 3. I love those fast corners. That's why we all love Spa; most corners are fast and succeed one another quickly.

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