Max: "We're in no man's land"

Published on 01 May 2017 by Stefan Meens

During an interview for Ziggo Sport’s show Peptalk, Max Verstappen reflected on his fifth place in the Russian Grand Prix. “We are sort of stuck in no man’s land. At the moment, we’re unable to follow the top two. But I was able to drive my own race. You’re trying to be as consistent as possible and to feel how good the car. The balance is pretty good.”

Before the start, there was a lot of uncertainty in Max’ side of the Red Bull Racing garage. Twice there were issues with a leaking water pump. “They managed to stop the leak. It really was a last resort. But it’s a case of making sure you finish. In the end that was the best thing of the day, to actually make it!”

With fifth being the maximum result, Max explains how he deals with not fighting for the victory. “I knew this was the situation at the start of the season. You have to get on with it. We’ll have to keep working hard to make it work.”

Post Grands Prix, Max often travels home with other F1 drivers. “It was good fun. It’s good to maintain a good relationship with the other guys. It just makes things easier. There were probably 12 or 13 of us.”

The next target for Max is to prepare for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. “I’ll train with my personal trainer, do simulator work before flying to Barcelona. I’m also hoping to catch the Monaco-Juventus match before it all kicks off again.”