Max on his first F1-win: “Very special feeling”
Published on 16 May 2016 by Mike Motilall
Being 18 and 227 days, Max Verstappen rewrote history today: he is the youngest Formula 1-winner ever, after claiming a spectacular victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. During his first ever podium in the pinnacle of motorsports, he got down to business, and also took hold of the biggest trophy. All of this taking place during his debut in the Red Bull Racing RB12. Superlatives just fail!
Max on his race: “After the Mercedes-pair crashed, I started targeting a podium finish, but I didn’t expect to win. During my first stint on the softs, I was able to follow closely, although my tyres were going off when I was behind of Ricciardo. Then I pitted and switched to the mediums. From that moment on, the car felt great and I was able to take care of my tyres and monitor my tempo. Looking back, we had the best strategy.”
Starting from fourth, the Dutchman had to keep Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari at bay, while also leading the pack. “I knew that after my last pit stop, it would be difficult. To save my tyres, I couldn’t push a lot. That worked out well, but it felt like the last ten laps I was driving on ice. The car was sliding a lot, but I kept taking care of my tyres and focused myself on exiting the last corner well. I know that overtaking is tricky here. Many race have been won like this in Barcelona.”
What was going through your mind, those last laps of the race? “I wasn’t nervous, but I couldn’t believe it. With still ten laps to go, I looked at the leaderboard alongside the track and saw myself at the top. Driving at the front was something I had already done before, but then it suddenly hit me. Then I was thinking: don’t look at the board no more, focus on the tyres and bring the car home. That’s what I did, even though the last part of the race took very long, to me that is.”
The Dutch national anthem and champagne eventually brought a euphoric release. “It was a very special feeling to hear the Dutch national anthem for the first time in the history of Formula 1”, Max realizes. He also saw a proud father looking up as the podium ceremonies were taking place. “I heard he was crying. It is all so unreal. Jos has invested so much time in me. Me being able to win a Formula 1-race for Red Bull Racing, is thanks to him.”
