Heart to heart with Max Verstappen: 'After Monaco the season went really well'

Published on 14 October 2018 by Raymond Snip

Last Wednesday, Max Verstappen attended Exact Live, the largest one-day business event in the Netherlands. In addition to his presence at a number of presentations and guest appearances, the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver made time for a heart to heart interview with Verstappen.nl. In this first part we look back on the current season and we look forward to the cooperation with Honda for 2019. In part two, which will appear on Tuesday, we will discuss the new regulations and teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Max, there are four races to go this year. How do you look back on this season after the race in Abu Dhabi? And how do you compare the season with last year?
"The start of the season was not really what I expected. Fortunately, things improved after Monaco. 2017 was a very different season, also with regard to the car. This year the car was good from the get go and that was not the case last year. In 2017 we ended-up winning twice. This year so far only once, that should have been three. I did, however, recover well and I am happy with the car, which is also important."

What score do you give yourself and the car this season so far?
"I do not like to give a certain score. I think you can always do better and I think that is very important. The car is actually very good, although there is always room for improvement. So, that’s how I feel about that."

Did you expect after Monaco that you would come back this strong with as many as seven podiums?
"Yes, I just did not expect to start like that. That's the thing. I always expected that we would come back and just do what we had done the year before. That is being consistent, being fast and taking podiums. That has been the case after Monaco. And above all, do not listen to what other people say."

What are your best moments this year so far?
"The best experience so far was Austria. To win in a Red Bull car at the Red Bull Ring, with so many Dutch fans, makes it very special."

What would you have done differently this year if you were allowed to do it again?
"China and Monaco. Those two."

Let’s jump to the cooperation with Honda next year: we have seen this fail with McLaren. How do you ensure that the collaboration will be a great success next year?
"By telling Honda that they need to develop the best and fastest engine, but not as small and compact as possible. We indicate that we want as much power as possible and in return we will make it fit in the car. That is a very different approach than they had at McLaren."

The fact that your team has a close relationship with their sister team Toro Rosso, is of course an advantage.
"In the current situation you are always the second team, after the factory team. This, of course, is not the case with Honda. We are actually the only customer, since both are Red Bull teams. I think that is an advantage. If there is engine update, you receive it immediately and not a race later."

In Japan, the Toro Rosso’s qualified sixth and seventh. Looking at pure speed, do you think that Honda has already passed Renault?
"I think so. Q3 was of course a somewhat separate session, but then they are still in front of the Renaults which is the factory team. I think Toro Rosso's car is not that strong in general, but you can see that Honda is making strides."

The Toro Rosso's dropped a bit in the race. Do you think they are at Renault's level at race speed as well?
"In the race it does not matter that much, but if the car is not at its best, it will not use the tyres as efficient. I don’t know exactly what went wrong, but if you look at pure engine power, it looks good. Of course, that will only be better in our car."

Have you already exchanged experiences about the Honda engine with Pierre Gasly, your new teammate?
"Of course. I always try to win as much information as possible and he is also really open in that regard. It all feels right and I think there are many benefits. Of course, there will also be a number of drawbacks, but hopefully the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks."

Pierre Gasly recently said that during his season in Super Formula in Japan, he learned a lot about Japanese culture and that this is useful now. Have you already immersed yourself in that?
"I do not think that is really necessary. If they just deliver a very fast engine, we will make sure that the rest will be fine. In terms of communication it is of course a different culture, but the people at the circuit all speak perfectly English. I think we have enough people in our team to take good care of that. You have to indicate what can be improved and what’s not going smoothly, but of course you can easily communicate this in English. You do not have to be Japanese for that."

Have you been to the factory yet?
"One time in Japan, but they also have a factory in Milton Keynes. That is just around the corner. Once we really work with Honda next year, we will probably return to the factory before the Japanese Grand Prix."

What strengths of this year’s car will you bring to next year? And what are some areas for improvement?
"I think the car in general is really strong. This year you could see at street circuits, where the engine power is not that important, that our car was really strong, especially in Monaco. As for next year, it is hard to say, because we get that new front wing. It affects the entire car in terms of downforce, so we’ll have to wait and see."

Do you also have an explanation why the RB14 this year is doing less well in the rain?
"There are reasons why the car is harder to adjust in the rain this year. I can’t say too much about that, but we know what the problem is and we should try to do better next year."