Max Verstappen: I could have been more aggressive at the start

Max Verstappen won the Australian Grand Prix and extended his lead over Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Pérez to 15 points. After the finish, the two-time world champion summed up the race and commented on the situation with the red flags.

Q: How do you rate the events that happened in Melbourne on Sunday?
Max Verstappen: I am very happy to win, but closer to the finish the race turned into chaos due to all the decisions made. I don’t think we needed a second red flag – a virtual or at worst a real safety car could have been enough. We need to talk about what happened because I think a lot of riders are wondering why the red flags were shown. Let’s talk about it in Baku.

Q: Have you had similar races throughout your career?
Max Verstappen: Yes. The race was quite chaotic.

Q: Can you tell us about your first start?
Max Verstappen: The first start turned out to be so-so – I just didn’t start well enough. But subsequent starts got better and better. Anyway, I’ve made progress!

Question Let’s talk about the battle with Lewis in the third corner on the first lap. Do you think Lewis crossed the line?
Max Verstappen: I think I was too cautious myself and could act more aggressively. On the other hand, I didn’t want to damage the car because I knew we had speed. So the loss of one or two positions was not the end of the world.

Q: Do you think Mercedes and Aston Martin have closed the gap on Red Bull Racing this weekend?
Max Verstappen: I think part of the reduction in separations is due to the characteristics of the track – it has very low rubber wear. I think that’s why the holes got smaller. Plus it was hard to warm up the tyres, and some teams handled it better than others, so it’s hard to say. I think you need to evaluate the speed on a few more tracks to get a clear picture of the gaps.

Q: We saw how you left the track in turn 13. Can you tell me what happened?
Max Verstappen: Yes, I locked the wheels a bit, which could lead to the formation of bald spots on the tire, so I decided to go a bit wider and hit the grass. I mowed the lawn and saved Melbourne some money!

Q: Can you tell us about the struggle on the last restart from the spot, when Lewis overtook you?
Max Verstappen: I don’t think Lewis overtook me. I started a little better than on previous restarts – I’m happy about that because the tires were very cold indeed. After the first corner I saw that there was no one behind me and I thought something was going on there. Then on the big screens I saw the chaos behind me. Sometimes it happens.

Question: Max, are you aware of the active discussion about your position on the grid for the first start? You were riding with your front wheels on the white line and about to break. Why did you do that? You were blinded by the sun and you couldn’t see where to stop?
Max Verstappen: To be honest, I braked a little later than necessary and lost sight of the landmark. I actually drove a little bit ahead and was standing on the berm. But on the edge, it’s not over the edge.

The sun became a problem closer to the finish – it was especially blinding in the first and third corners so it was difficult.

Question: Do you think it is necessary to revise the regulations to clarify red flags and avoid situations where the race ends behind the safety car?
Max Verstappen: I think the situation is pretty clear and I don’t understand why red flags were needed. If the safety car had left the track, and then there was a normal start in motion, we would have avoided the blockage and finished normally. Closer to the finish they created problems for themselves.