Max chats to Verstappen.com: 'I'm super motivated but the pressure is off'

Published on 09 March 2022 by Stefan Meens

On the brink of the final pre-season test ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season, Verstappen.com caught up with reigning world champion Max Verstappen. In an exclusive interview, Max looks forward to a new campaign, as well as reflecting on achieving his life-long dream of becoming Formula 1 champion.

Has becoming World Champion drastically changed your life?
“Thankfully it hasn’t”, says Max. “It is amazing that it happened, but it hasn’t changed how I go through life; and that’s always been my approach. Of course, it’s a dream come true, something I worked hard for since I was young. Winning the title was a special moment.”

Now that you have clinched that first title, does that mean there is less pressure going forward?
“Definitely. I think I can be a bit more relaxed. Of course, I’m super motivated to keep winning, but the ‘must’ element is now gone, because I’m already world champion.”

Will the championship ever be these close and exciting ever again?
“I don’t hope so”, smiles Max. “Of course it’s what all Formula 1 fans want to see. We’ll see, perhaps the new regulations will have brought the cars closer together.”

Would you rather wrap up a championship a few races before the end of the season, or is it more satisfying to win an intense, close title fight like last year?
“In the end, a battle until the very end gives you more satisfaction, but personally it doesn’t need to go to the last race and the last lap. On the one hand you want to dominate and get the title done as soon as possible, but the racer in me wants it to be an exciting fight.” When you crossed the finish line in Abu Dhabi, who was it who delirously shouted over the radio? Was it Alex Albon, or your race engineer GP (Gianpiero Lambiase), or someone else?
“That was definitely GP, I think he destroyed his voice because of all the shouting, which maybe caused a bit of confussion.”

After a short off-season, your focus is now entirely on the 2022 season. How are you feeling going into the final test later this week?
“In general, pretty relaxed. We’ve had a good test in Barcelona and the car is working well. We’ll have updates coming ahead of the first race, so it’s important to get the miles in, to be prepared for the season opener. Last year, we did a lot of testing miles and we had a good balance in the car. I think that’s the main thing.”

For 2022, the cars run new, bigger tyres. Do the tyres affect your driving style? For example, are you able to push longer on the new Pirellis?
“The tyres operate a bit more consitent. Getting heat in them is different because the tyres won’t be as heated when you leave the pits. Of course you adapt, but it's fairly straight forward and not too bad.”

The new regulations are meant to allow the cars to follow each other more easily. Does that mean DRS is no longer needed?
“At this stage I think we’ll still need DRS. I followed a few cars closely during the Barcelona test and I did need DRS to overtake them. It also depends on the downforce levels you’re using. In Barcelona, everyone was using different engine settings and fuel levels, so it was hard to compare top speeds.”

What is your take on the cars’ weight continuing the increase, season after season? Can you feel the weight difference when driving the car?
“You notice it in the slow corners, the car feels a bit sluggish. But then again, in faster corners, the cars feel quite nice to drive.” Porpoising (the bouncing of the new generation of cars at high speed) has been the talk of the paddock during the opening test. How is Red Bull Racing affected by this byproduct of ground effect?
“I think every team has experienced it. It’s difficult to solve the issue without losing downforce. It does seem to be a feature of these new generation of cars. Regardless, we’ll try different solutuons to solve the issues.”

Will porpoising lead to a trip to the dentist anytime soon?
“Not yet, but it’s not far off!”, laughs Max. “But it’s definitely not a nice feeling.”

Another rule change for 2022 is that you no longer have to start the race on the tyres that you set your fastest time in Q2 on. What is your take on that change?
“I don’t think it will make much of a difference. Pretty much everyone will start on the same tyre and that’s fine. Ultimately, the fastest cars will still pull away at the front.”

Driving the simulator has become a core part of preparation in Formula 1. Was there a different approach this year, with the new technical regulation taking effect?
“Not really, I probably spent just as much time in the sim compared to previous years. However, it is really vital to get the simulations right as fast as possible.”

How does the real RB18 feel compared to the virtual version?
“It was very positive; it immediately felt good.”

In the second part of this exclusive interview, which will be released next week, Max will chat about his future; what are his goals for the next five years and how does he picture his life after Formula 1? In addition, the Dutchman discusses his new contract with Red Bull Racing, dad Jos’ new hobby, and he shares insights into his helmet designs.