Max happy with new starting procedure: "I can handle it well."
Published on 31 March 2016 by Stefan Meens
During the FIA press conference prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso received the most question. The Spaniard will sit out the second round of the championship after the FIA deemed him not fit enough to race after his horror crash in the season opener in Melbourne. His replacement will be the Stoffel Vandoorne, the reigning GP2 champion. The Belgian will make his F1 debut this weekend.
Max Verstappen was also present at the press conference. After a tumultuous race in Australia, the press want to know what Max had learned from Melbourne. “First of all we had a great qualifying, so we can be happy with that. But of course the race didn’t work out like we wanted to. We analysed everything and hopefully we can get back stronger here in Bahrain. Even though this track hasn’t suited Toro Rosso in the past, we’ll give it our best, that’s for sure.”
Has the speed of the new STR11 exceeded your expectations? “We just kept working hard and saw the improvements during winter time. But you still have to wait and see how it goes on track. In winter testing you still don’t know exactly where you are. In the end, to qualify P5 in Melbourne, was definitely a great achievement by the whole team. Especially after the short winter for us.”
The 2016 season saw the introduction of a new starting procedure. How did the Dutch youngster handle the changes? “I had a good start, so I’m happy with it. Generally you just need a bit more practice, but I can handle it well.”
