Max previews the Australian GP: 'I'd like to start the season strong'
Published on 10 March 2020 by Niels Hendrix
Looking forward to the Australian Grand Prix, this weekend at the Albert Park track, Max Verstappen says: “I like this track, even though it’s a street circuit and hard to overtake on. No track is perfect but Albert Park has quite a lot of fast ninety degree corners which are challenging. The fast chicane in qualifying is also really satisfying when you get it right.”
“It’s one of the best races on the calendar. It’s the start of the season and everyone starts from zero which makes it exciting when it gets to qualifying and you find out where you really are. There’s a great atmosphere with all the fans supporting the event and the weather is good too which makes it a nice week.”
Last year, Max scored his first podium of the year. The Dutch Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver continues: “It was a great start for us and Honda to be on the podium straight away and a good confidence boost for everyone. It was also my first time on the podium in Australia which made it even more special.”
How are you feeling going into the first race of the season? Max: “I feel good and we are pushing hard as a team. Everybody here knows that to be successful you need to fully understand the car, do a lot of laps and we were pleased with our testing in Barcelona. We got good mileage, things ran pretty smoothly and that’s exactly what we wanted. Honda are also pushing flat out. You always want improvements and they have made a lot since last year. The real bonus is that what they say they will deliver development wise always happens and I’m confident that will be the case again this year.”
“My contract talks were pretty simple and I trust the team. I believe we can move forward and get back to challenging like we did in the past. We have the right people in the team and I think we have everything we need to challenge, especially with the dedication from Honda. I’d like to start the season strong, because then it’s really on but we won’t know where we stand until Q2 and Q3 on Saturday in Melbourne, that’s where all the hard work over the winter really counts.”
