Max ahead of British GP: 'Far from boring'

Published on 06 July 2023 by Stefan Meens

A few days after a dominant display at the Red Bull Ring, in which he took pole, won both the sprint and Grand Prix as well as claim the fastest lap, Max Verstappen arrived in the United Kingdom ahead of Sunday’s British Grand Prix. After attending ‘Clay Day’, an annual clay pigeon shooting contest to raise funds for Wings For Life, Max entered the Silverstone paddock to preview this weekend’s race.

“Silverstone is an important race for us and we love to come here. We’re here to do a good race and will try to win. In 2020 I won in Silverstone. Sometimes you have a bit of bad luck, like last year, but we know that our car is better and more competitive this year. So I’m looking forward to this weekend and hopefully we can put together a good result.”

Unlike some of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s competitors, the Milton Keynes based outfit is not bringing big updates to the British Grand Prix. “We’ve had a great start to the season and we understand our car better each race. We know what we want and need. In that sense, we’re always developing. Other teams mention updates and upgrades more, but we continue to develop the RB19, because that’s what you need to do to stay ahead. But I think it’s a good sign we don’t have to bring big updates like some competitors and still have a decent advantage. That advantage depends on the circuit but our basis is strong. It’s up to us to make the most of that.”

Compared to street courses, is the RB19 better suited to permanent tracks? “On street circuits or a bumpy surface, our car doesn’t work as well. That’s why I think the margin was smaller in Monaco. In Montreal it wasn’t at its best either. We know there are a few street circuits coming up, so that will be more challenging.”

Nevertheless, Red Bull continues to enjoy a dominant 2023 campaign. “For years we were close or we thought we’d be at the front the next year, but it didn’t happen for various reasons. Now we are at the front and I really enjoy what we have achieved as a team. Sometimes people ask me if I find this boring, but it isn’t to me. This is what we’ve worked for, all those years. Everyone was incredibly motivated to get into this position so we are enjoying it. Of course we are aware that the other teams are working flat out to catch up. But we will work as hard as we can to remain at the front, and that’s far from boring.”

Contest GP Silverstone: win a by Max Verstappen signed Orange Lion Driver Cap!