After the incident with Russell in Barcelona, the Red Bull driver will be at risk until autumn (even after Austria he will remain just 3 points away from missing a GP), but he has assured that his approach won’t change in the upcoming races and in Montreal he responded to questions on the subject in typical “Max” fashion – short and sharp.
In just over ten minutes, the length of his media appearance on the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix, all of Max Verstappen’s personality came through. The main topic – inevitably – was the risk of a one-race suspension, which he will have to live with until the coming autumn.
After the penalty he received in the previous round in Barcelona (due to the move against George Russell), Verstappen now has eleven penalty points on his license – just one short of the twelve that result in a race ban.
When Verstappen finds himself in a difficult situation, he reacts in true Max style: curt answers, little diplomacy, and a clear desire to move on quickly. It turned into a game of verbal ping-pong, with rapid-fire questions and replies. The message was clear – Max won’t change his racing style, and if it costs him a race suspension, it won’t be a tragedy (at least for him).
Would it be a tragedy for Formula 1? “Ask them,” was the blunt reply. When it was pointed out that even after the Austrian Grand Prix he’ll still be just three points away from a possible suspension, another sharp response followed. “That’s a story for you guys, not for me. I don’t think about it.” But what if you really have to miss a Grand Prix? “It wouldn’t be ideal.” Will you change your approach, considering the risk of a penalty? “Why should I?” So this weekend won’t change anything for you? “No, the only thing I can say is I’ve got a bit of jet lag – otherwise, nothing’s changed.”
Max gave a few more words when asked to explain what happened in Barcelona in the controversial incident with George Russell. “It was a misjudgment, but there’s no need to go into the details of why and how. Everyone makes mistakes in life, you learn and move on. The final stages of the race were frustrating – until the safety car we’d had a good run, using the right strategy for our car, and at least we managed to put a bit of pressure on the McLarens, who once again proved to be much faster than everyone else.”
“Then there were some frustrating moments,” Max continued, “I got hit on the straight (referring to the contact with Charles Leclerc) after almost crashing on the hard tyres. When I got to Turn 1 I was hit (by Russell) and shortly after I was told to give the position back. At that point I thought: ‘This makes no sense.’ So it felt like a lot of things just came together.” Verstappen didn’t say more, but he did reply when it was pointed out that it was mainly Red Bull’s pit wall strategy that put him in a difficult spot.
“We could sit here and talk through the whole Barcelona race, but honestly, I don’t care that much. We talked about everything after the race – now we move on. Maybe some good things will happen in the next races, but for now I’m taking it one race at a time.” Another message that came through clearly is that Max doesn’t see himself fighting for the championship – he doesn’t believe McLaren’s technical superiority will leave him with any opportunity for the title.
No drama – and he doesn’t seem particularly concerned by the possibility of having to watch a race from the sidelines. “Is it fair that I have eleven penalty points on my license? I don’t know. But at the same time, life isn’t always fair. If I look at it from that perspective, I’m not worried. I come here to race and I’ll always race flat out. I’ll drive the way I think you’re supposed to drive, I’ll do that, and then we move on to the next race…”
Leave a Reply