Max previews French GP: 'More competitive than previous years'

Published on 17 June 2021 by Stefan Meens

Ahead of the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, Max Verstappen joined the Thursday Formula 1 drivers’ press conference to reflect on the last race in Baku as well as preview the upcoming weekend.

A tyre failure five laps from the end, prevented the Red Bull Racing driver from claiming a dominant win in Azerbaijan. How do you feel about it now? “The main feeling is still disappointment. Sure, Lewis also left points on the table, but that’s out of our control. Of course it was beneficial for us, but I’m frustrated we weren’t able to extend our lead in the championship.”

The championship has turned into a straight fight between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. Do Mercedes look a bit nervous? “We’ll just focus on ourselves. That’s the best way. Every weekend we have to do the best we can and score the best possible result as you can’t control what other teams are doing.”

How do you see the two title contending teams shape up this weekend? “Mercedes has had a very good car around here the last few years, so they’ll be strong. I do expect us to be a bit more competitive compared to previous years, because our car is better this year. But it’s difficult to say how much. Hopefully we can be close.”

Paul Ricard is certainly a different track to the likes of Monaco and Baku. What is your take on it? “It’s different compared to most tracks because it has these long corners that have a different line than you would initially expect. In that sense, it’s not the easiest circuit, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Honda has replaced the power-units for both yourself and team mate Sergio Perez ahead of the French GP. Will a new engine help you be more competitive? “Hopefully it gives us a bit extra, we can use everything we can get.”

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