Max looks back at Bahrain: 'We didn't have the pace'

Published on 01 April 2019 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen finished in a less than exciting fourth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. A very late safety car deployment, as a result of both Renaults coming to a standstill on track, was the reason that the Dutchman saw a podium finish go up in smoke. By means of a Skype-chat session in Ziggo Sport’s Peptalk, the youngster looks back at his performance in Bahrain and also takes a preliminary look at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Because of a scheduled test day in Bahrain, Max is still present there. He is asked what is he unhappy about and what went perfect: ‘Well, we just didn’t have the pace, that’s why I couldn’t attack. We also didn’t have any pressure from the back, so for me there was not much going on more or less. We also didn’t have any grip in the rear this weekend. This track is very sensitive regarding the rears, so then it just doesn’t work. During the race there was a lot of cross wind which bothered us in really finding a good balance. There were gushes of wind and this was one of the most difficult races ever.’

On the question if there are any updates planned for the car during the test in Bahrain, Max replies: ‘Regarding the test, I don’t know, but in the factory they are busy to develop new things as fast as they can.’

Finally, Max looks ahead at the race in China: ‘In Bahrain it didn’t go well, but we’re third in the standings. We are trying to lose as few points as we can and hope to get the car under control as soon as possible.’