Max regarding the 2017-car: “Great fun having that much grip”
Published on 18 November 2016 by Mike Motilall
Friday was scheduled to be a day in the simulator for Max Verstappen at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes. The day was interrupted by a live Facebook event from team partner Hisense, who fired a great many questions at Max. Of course, the spectacular catch up-race that Max drove on a soaked Interlagos circuit was firstly looked back upon.
What do you think of all the praise after the race in the rain and in which you are compared with motorsport’s greats like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher? Max: “It is of course very nice when those comparisons are made but for me it is very important to keep the focus on myself. I try to stay as neutral as possible with it all and I think that it is important to keep two feet on the ground.”
You almost hit the barrier, when your car went sideways but still managed to get it back under control. What was going through your mind as it happened? “There was a lot of water and every lap you needed a different approach. I think with a bit too much steering lock on it the car snapped, from there on you need a little bit of luck to keep the car. As soon as I saw that the front was coming back to me, I let the brakes go in a reflex, just in front of the barriers. Fortunately the car gripped up again and I was able to continue on. There was no time to panic. You just try to solve it and correct it. It was a big feeling of relief and then you start to push immediately again. I think my next lap was faster than the one before the incident.”
Is the rain something that suits the Red Bull Racing-car or just you? “Both a bit. I like the wet conditions, but the car is also very strong in the rain. It doubles up.” Regarding the weaving moments behind the safety car, Max says: “ You are always looking for more grip, even behind the safety car. That is what I did and it helped me right away to overtake others, for sure after the re-starts.”
You have had some clashes on track with Sebastian Vettel and swapped a few words as well. What is your relationship like with him now? “We have a good relationship. We had a phone call and cleared up a lot of stuff. No real issues there, it is fine. We are racing drivers and get over those things very quickly.”
The rules for 2017 will be changing massively. Can you tell us something about the new Red Bull Racing-car? “I haven’t seen much of it yet, because it is constantly being developed. What you see today, will not be the car that will be hitting the track next year. Of course I keep up to date how the progress is going and everybody is very confident that hopefully next year we can make a step up. We keep on believing in it and working hard for it so we can hopefully fight for the championship next year. The only thing I can say about the car is that I have already driven it in the simulator and it is good fun to have that much grip.”
The last Grand Prix of this season is just around the corner. What is your plan next week in Abu Dhabi? “I am just trying to get a good result. I am still fighting for fourth in the championship and hopefully we can have a go at that. Hopefully the track will suit our car but we have to wait and see how that will pan out. I am quite confident”, says Max in conclusion before continuing one his activities in the simulator.
