Max previews 70th Anniversary Grand Prix: 'Qualifying will be close'

Published on 07 August 2020 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen joined Ziggo Sport’s Olav Mol to review his first day at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Max started free practice two with several aerodynamic tests: “We tried a lot of different things on the car”, explained the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver. “You’re leaving the pits and returning before the end of the lap. That’s part of it. Later on, when I was doing full laps, the car felt good.”

Not all updates a Formula 1 team develops work well in real life. “We try to make progess in all areas but you always have to wait and see if it works on track. Sometimes it doesn't and we won’t use it anymore. If it’s slower, we’ll remove the part.”

Sometimes a part can be quicker, but the car might not feel as nice. Max: “I haven’t had that very often, but if it’s quicker, I’ll adapt.”

With two consecutive races at the same track, does the balance of the RB16 feel better? “It’s a bit better than last week but we can't expect miracles. With almost the same car, you won’t go that much better. The tyres are softer this weekend, but that’s the same for everyone so I don’t think there will be a big difference between the teams’ performance. I think we’ll be roughly in the same place as last week.”

Looking ahead to the remainder of the weekend, Max concludes: “I expect qualifying to be close and I’ll have to push to claim third again. During the race, I’ll probably be on my own.”

70th Anniversary GP contest: win a Red Bull Racing 2020 backpack!