Verstappen: I had to take risks so that Charles didn’t catch up

Max Verstappen finished third in Monaco, extending his lead over Charles Leclerc. Max mentioned the key moment of the race leaving the pits after the pit stop, when he returned to the track ahead of Leclerc and kept his position.

Q: Whose car was faster in the race in mixed conditions: Red Bull or Ferrari?
Max Verstappen: If we evaluate the pace in one lap, Ferrari was faster than us. In the long run, it’s hard to compare because no one attacked at full force, not even in training, because it didn’t make sense.

In Monaco everything was decided in qualifying. It didn’t matter how fast you were in the race, overtaking is still impossible. In the race everything depended on strategy and making the right decisions.

I have to say that our team made the right decisions and did it without a doubt. It sounded something like this: “Now come in for a pit stop, put on such and such tires,” “Put back in, switch to those tires.” They really did a great job with everything.

Q: Escapees after pit stops were minimal, and after returning to the track you even had to take risks?
Max Verstappen: Yes, I had to, otherwise Charles would have caught up with me, because I didn’t have enough grip. My exit from the pits, an attempt to get ahead of Charles, can be called the most interesting moment, summarizing the results of my race.

During qualifying I couldn’t complete the last attempt, so I started fourth – I knew my chances would be somewhat compromised. It all came down to trying to maximize the result – I think we succeeded together with the team, and I had a good pace – I mean those circles when I was running on an empty track.

The decision to go with the Medium tires made the final stint more difficult than if I had stayed on Hard. We didn’t know how many laps the race would last and at one point I saw the rivals up front starting to granulate rubber. Sergio’s front tires in particular were gritty, but Carlos also had problems with the rear tires.

As for me, the balance of the car was fine, I could get close enough, but overtaking was impossible. If I wanted to, I could hit Carlos’ car in a hairpin a few times. Maybe he would love it! (smiles)

Q: Max, your partner is only 15 points behind you in the individual standings. Do you see him as a potential contender for the title? Can it affect the atmosphere in the team?
Max VerstappenA: I don’t think our relationship will change. Why should they change? We work great as a team. We are constantly trying to optimize the machine, working together and accepting the fact that one of us can do better.

I think it’s important to respect each other and may the best of us win. Of course we try to do our best on track, but at the same time we respect each other and strive every weekend to earn as many points as possible for the team.