Max: 'Mexico is definitely our best chance for another victory.'
Published on 25 October 2018 by Raymond Snip
In front of the international press during the FIA press conference, Max Verstappen shares his thoughts about last week’s race in the USA, where he drove from P18 to P2. "It was definitely a good one but it’s difficult to choose if it’s going to be my best. I also don’t want to really look at it like that. It’s always important to try to score as many points as possible, especially when you start from the back. I think we didn’t expect to really fight for the podium but looking at the year before as well, we were really competitive in the race and it showed, we were again this time."
Max continues about his second-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas: "Doing the opposite strategy I think seemed to be working well and to be at the end of the race fighting for victory was very nice. And of course, to hang on to second place in the last few laps was challenging with the tyres I had, but also a lot of fun.”
Of the remaining three races this season, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, do you think this is your best chance of another victory? Max: "This is definitely the best chance for us. We’ll try to set up the car in the best way possible and we’ll find out how we’re going to perform. I don’t think in qualifying we have a chance at pole but in the race, we seem to be working a lot better anyway, so I expect this to be better than Austin.”
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit is located at a high altitude. Max, could you tell us what the effects will be mechanically and physically? "I think the engines performance will be a little bit closer because it’s just a bit more difficult for them to breath. Downforce-wise you lose a lot of performance and then it’s more about mechanical grip and stuff because even with the biggest wing here you have less downforce than in Monza.” Max explains.
Max continues: "I think our car is very good mechanically, anyway, also aerodynamically. Of course, that’s less of a factor so that’s why I think we are normally more competitive on this track than others, even though there is a super long straight in the track, so I think that just explains a lot. Physically it’s not a big deal because it’s so low grip.”
Looking forward to next year: do you think you can go for the title with the Honda power unit in the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing? "It is, of course, difficult to say, because we still need to develop a very strong car. So, we’ll find out next year. I think initially we may be not strong enough to really fight for a victory but I think throughout the season we’ll definitely catch up. That’s how we’re planning. So hopefully it will work out like that.”
