Max after Friday practice in Baku: 'Not much to complain about'
Published on 04 June 2021 by Stefan Meens
Following the two Friday practice sessions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen spoke to Ziggo Sport’s Olav Mol to reflect on his opening day of the race weekend.
How was your day, were you able to work through your program? “Yes, it was pretty good actually. We were able to do all the things we wanted and the car felt pretty good.”
You were using different racing shoes today. What is the reason for that? “Yes, we brought new shoes, but they were a EU size 44 and I’m a 41.5. I didn’t have my old shoes, so I didn’t have anything to drive with. In the first session, I used Sergio’s, but they’re half a size too small so that was a bit tight. After that, I got a pair from Lawson, who has the same size as me. So I won’t be able to use my own shoes this weekend, because it’s difficult to bring stuff in from England at this short notice.”
It appeared you were happier with the car in FP1 as opposed to FP2. “We tried a few things in the second practice session, but they didn’t really work. The balance wasn’t that good but we’re still second so we’re looking pretty strong.”
Has turn eight been altered? “Yes, and it’s a lot nicer. Before, it was always a bit of a weird corner with all those kerbs, so I’m happy with it.”
Is this a fun track to drive? “I prefer normal circuits because they have more grip, which means you can be on the limit more compared to a street circuit. But this is not a bad circuit to drive.”
On your first run on the medium Pirelli tyres, you were seven tenths quicker than anybody else. Is the medium the tyre to be on? “I don’t know. We haven’t used the mediums that much and the car feels good on the softs too. We can’t really complain.”
