Max on Portimao opening laps: 'I tried to stay out of trouble'

Published on 26 October 2020 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen joined Ziggo’s Peptalk, in which the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver reflected on his third place at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

The first few laps were hectic. “The first lap wasn’t really enjoyable. There wasn’t a lot of grip and I just tried to stay out of trouble. Of course I had that touch with Perez, so after that I took it easy. I saw that the McLaren’s were quick in the early phase, but I knew I’d be faster over the whole race. I could just work my way back to ‘my position’.”

“There were a few drops of rain on my visor. I didn’t have any grip so I was being careful and I tried not to force anything. I didn’t want to go off, so I took it fairly easy. There is no point to take unnecessary risks, because we’d normally still end up in third.”

Is it frustrating when you are unable to fight for the win? “You just have to accept the situation. I always try to make the most of it. At the moment, that is P3. Of course, I am happy with every podium.”

The next Grand Prix is a return to Imola, a circuit that has not been on the calendar since 2006. “I like that we have new tracks, so we’re not always driving on the same circuits; it can get a bit boring”, said Max, who has already started preparing for next weekend’s race. “I’ve driven Imola on the simulator so I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Thus far, Max has claimed nine podium finished over the 2020 season. Does he get to keep all the trophies? “It always takes a while before I receive the trophies, so I’ll probably get them next year. The real ones goes to Red Bull, I get replicas.”