Max after Melbourne: “We had some miscommunications”

Published on 23 March 2016 by Niels Hendrix

Looking back at the first Grand Prix in Melbourne, Max Verstappen is asked how his first race weekend of 2016 went. “I think generally the week started off well. We improved the car every time step‑by‑step, even though the conditions were not great with the rain and in order to save tyres. The qualifying was absolutely perfect.  To be fifth behind Mercedes and the Ferrari cars, that's definitely where we wanted to be. That was all great. I think we could be very happy with that.”

Max continues on Laureus.com, after the interview of today: “Then in the race, I think the start was good. First stint was also good. Then we had some miscommunications, I would say, and not a great finish.” Did the incident with team mate Carlos Sainz lead to rivalry? “To be honest, it doesn't really feel like such a thing. First of all, I'm always focusing ahead. So for me, to be honest, it doesn't really affect me as a struggle. We want to beat each other on track, but I think every driver wants to beat his team mate. And off‑track, everything is going well, so there are no issues there.”

How is the new Scuderia Toro Rosso car? Is there a possibility for improvement as the year goes on? “We already improved the car from last year, and there are still some things to come, so I'm definitely looking forward to the upcoming weeks, that's for sure. That's all top secret”, concludes Max.