Max excited for the future: 'We have to be in the title fight in 2020'

Published on 22 October 2018 by Stefan Meens

During last weekend’s US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Max Verstappen proved to be a real crowd pleaser with a stunning drive from 18th on the grid to finish second. In an interview with Ziggo Sport’s ‘Peptalk’, Max reviewed his entertaining effort as well as looking ahead to the Mexican Grand Prix next week.

“This was one of the most fun races in my Formula 1 career”, explained Max who concedes that starting from the back results in more action on track. “There is the risk of damage in those early laps, racing through the pack, so starting from the front is still ideal. But with the right tyre choice, things can work out well.”

“My own start was OK. I stayed on the inside into turn 1 to minimize the risk. I basically tried to stay out of trouble and pick the right line. Then there was Alonso and Stroll’s crash. I thought I’d just cut the corner, that’s better than trying to make the turn.”

Not long after, Max lined up and executed an overtake on Sebastian Vettel in turn 17, despite the Ferrari driver heading for the pits. “They told me in turn 12 he was coming in but it’s more fun to overtake on track.”

In the closing stages, Max tried to fight for the win with Raikkonen but ultimately fell short of challenging the Ferrari. “The traffic ahead of us came to late. Normally we would’ve had blue flags with two laps to go. But because all our tyres we’re gone, we never caught up with the traffic on time.”

Once again, tyre management proved crucial in the outcome of the race. “With six laps to go, I felt my rear tyres were done, so I tried to exit the corners as well as I could. Those final three laps were very hard. My focus then was more on defending as Hamilton’s tyres were better.”

What followed was an exciting duel between the Red Bull and Mercedes. “Hopefully the next time we fight next year, we’ll have a bit more power so we won’t even need to fight”, smiled Max.

Despite losing out to the Finnish veteran, Max could appreciate Kimi’s win. “I think that generally speaking most people were pleased to see him win the race. That was good to see.”

In terms of the championship fight, Hamilton was not able to seal the title last weekend but it seems inevitable the Mercedes ace will clinch a fifth title. Max: “He deserves it; he’s made the least mistakes.”

Red Bull Racing team mate Daniel Ricciardo endured another though race. A technical issue resulted in the Australian’s seventh DNF of the season. Max feels for his Aussie colleague. “It’s not good for the team. But I know how it feels. Last year, at the start of the season, it was the same for me. It’s really disappointing as you could tell by his body language.”

Looking forward to the remainder of the season, the Mexican Grand Prix is next, a race Max won last year. “Of course, I’m going to try to win again this year. Austin was a better weekend than expected and Mexico should suit us better so we’ll see.”

At COTA, Max used a C-Spec Renault power-unit. At the Autdromo Hermanos Rodrigues the Dutchman will revert back to the B-spec engine. “It doesn’t really matter what engine we’ll use as I don’t think we’ll stand a chance in qualifying anyway.”

On the topic of power-units, Max is looking forward to next year’s Honda engines. “The whole team is excited for next year. We’ll probably lack a bit in the early stages, even though it will be a real step forward from what we have now. I don’t have a clue if it’s going to be enough for a championship fight, but in 2020 we should definitely be contenders; that is the aim.”