Max ahead of Qatar: 'Pushing to maximize performance on track'

Published on 16 November 2021 by Niels Hendrix

Being back home in Monaco, Max Verstappen reflects on the Brazilian Grand Prix. The race in Sao Paulo was a tough one for you and your teammate, Checo Perez. How do you look at it now? Max says: “Yes it was a tough weekend, in general we were a little bit off pace to Mercedes but nevertheless we only lost a couple of points so it’s not too bad. Of course, I would always like to win but we had a good battle and to come home in second is okay. We’ve got three races to go so it’s all about pushing and doing everything we can as a team to maximize performance on track.”

Next up is the race in Qatar. Have you been there before and are you excited to go? Max: “I think I’ve only been to Qatar once for a prize giving, so I’m looking forward to going back. It’s a new track and we’ve obviously never been there so I’m excited to see how it’s going to be driving the track, hopefully we can perform well there. It always looks cool when we see Moto GP race there!”

What are your expectations heading into the race weekend? Max replies: “It’s hard to say at the moment but let’s see when we get there. I’ve driven it a little bit on the simulator to understand the corners but it will be good to see the track in real life. The practice sessions will of course be very important for everyone to get up to speed and understand the car set up.”