Max reflects on Sochi day 1: 'We're better than we've shown'

Published on 25 September 2020 by Stefan Meens

After Friday practice for the Russian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen reflected on his day with Ziggo Sport’s Olav Mol.

“During first practice, my lap wasn’t great. I think I could’ve been second”, explained Max. “So it wasn’t too bad, especially if you take the Mercedes out of the picture, because they’re really quick around here.”

“In FP2 we tried something with the downforce levels because we were a bit slow on the straight. But it meant we didn’t find a great balance in the short run. However, I was on a quick lap, until I spun. The car is just sensitive with low downforce and ultimately we could’ve just beaten Daniel’s time. But because of the downforce, which we know is slower over one lap, a slightly distorted picture was painted, but it doesn’t mean things aren’t going well.”

Max concluded: “We expected this on this track with the long straights, low grip and a different track surface. But I think we’re better than we’ve shown as we’ve used today to try a lot of things.”

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