Max: “Need to work hard to close the gap fast”
Published on 28 March 2017 by Mike Motilall
After finishing fifth at the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen looks back on the very first race of the season in the show Peptalk on Ziggo Sport. Still on the other side of the world, the Red Bull Racing-driver talks about the previous weekend.
“It went reasonably well. Of course we had hoped for more before heading off to Australia. During qualifying it was obvious that there wasn’t much more in store than a fifth spot.” Max is not really phased about that: “You cannot change anything about that at this moment. After pre-season testing, I noticed that the car was not completely perfect, so then it is better to focus on getting the set-up as good as possible.”
During the race, Max tried putting pressure on Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. The new rules didn’t quite help a lot: “As soon as you get within two, two-and-a-half seconds, you start noticing that it is difficult to close the gap. The cars are wider, have more grip and downforce, so you are creating a bigger air pocket at the rear of the car. For the car behind, it is harder to follow, even though you are a second per lap faster and on new tyres.”
The new rules have one positive aspect though and that is the control of the cars: “It is way more fun to negotiate the corners now, especially the fast corners. You can take them now much faster than previously.” Physically this requires a bit more from a driver. Max shares how he got out of the car after 57 laps on the Albert Park circuit: “Luckily not tired, so that means we trained well. I even felt better than last year. The cars have more grip and are more stable, which also helps of course. A car you are struggling with, drains your energy.”
Ferrari made a great leap forward during the winter, enabling the Italian squad to take the fight to Mercedes during the race weekend in Australia and eventually come out on top. Verstappen hopes that Red Bull will also be able to join the fight shortly: “We are going to work hard to be able to close the gap as soon as possible.”
