Max: 'It will be a great atmosphere with the fans back at the Austrian GP'
Published on 24 June 2021 by Stefan Meens
Ahead of the upcoming weekend, when Formula 1 returns to the Red Bull Ring for the Styrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen joined the Thursday driver’s press conference to preview the weekend's action.
A week after the Styrian GP, the Austrian Grand Prix is scheduled on the same track, with the latter allowing fans back in. Are you looking forward to seeing them again? Max: “The atmosphere is amazing with fans. You can see them cheer you on during the race, which is great! In terms of lap time, it doesn’t make a difference or affect my performance, but the fans do bring a lot of positive energy.”
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It is a year since racing resumed in Formula 1 after the covid-19 pandemic delayes the start of the 2020 season. “Since then we’re used to wearing masks and doing PCR tests, so in that respect, not much has changed", explained the Dutchman. "But I think Formula 1 did a good job, just look at how low the number of positive tests are, especially compared to other sports.”
The Red Bull Ring appears to be a track that suits you, with two wins and a third place in the past three years. Does the circuit favor the Red Bull or Mercedes more? “That’s difficult to say. The practice sessions will tell us where we are. Every year is different because the cars are, so time will tell.”
Red Bull Racing is enjoying a successful year thus far. Does that increase the motivation within the team? Max: “I don’t think the motivation has had in impact on our results. Fighting for the championship has always been our goal. Sometimes things didn’t go our way or we just weren’t good enough. This year, things are working out and we’ve build well on the previous car. Now things are going well, of course everybody is motivated, but I don’t think that affects our performance. It’s more about how much you enjoy a race weekend.”
At the end of 2021, Honda pull out of Formula 1. Is that not a shame, especially now with the good results? “Yes, of course it’s shame. I thought it was a shame last year, before these results. Together, we’ll try to make to most of it and we’ll see where that brings us.”
