Max Verstappen: We also had malfunctions

Thanks to the victory in Baku, Max Verstappen’s lead over Charles Leclerc in the individual competition has grown to thirty-four points. At a press conference after the finish, the Red Bull Racing driver summed up the weekend, commenting on the failures of Ferrari’s rivals.

Q: Max, it was your first time on the podium in Baku. You must be happy to recuperate on this track after your retirement from last year, right?
Max Verstappen: Yeah, I think we had a really good race. I had a great start, but the distance to the first corner was short, so I couldn’t regain the positions. Then I held on to Charles and tried to find a chance to get ahead but it was hard to overtake so I just had to wait.

Then came the virtual safety car. We decided to stay on track with two cars and extend the first stint. My Medium tires were in good shape so I was able to lead the race.

After switching to hard tires I prepared myself for an interesting fight with Charles in the closing laps. I thought I could catch up with him because we had a small lead in pace. Unfortunately, the battle failed. Overall a good race, the car was fast and I was able to control the tire wear.

Q: Can we say you were happy with the car all weekend?
Max VerstappenA: Yes, absolutely.

Question You have earned the 66th podium for Red Bull Racing and are now in first place in this indicator in the history of the team. Are you happy with these statistics?
Max Verstappen: I hope I have a lot of podiums ahead of me.

Q: When we talk about stats, after taking the 25th win, you’ve caught up with this indicator with the greats Jim Clark and Nico Lauda.
Max Verstappen: Yes, but we do more races than them? So if you have a good car at your disposal… These victories aren’t quite comparable, but it’s nice to get into the record book.

Q: After the win, you significantly increased your lead over Charles Leclerc in the individual competition. What do you think of this?
Max Verstappen: At the beginning of the season we were also plagued with failures, so we had to pay back. It seems that we have now caught up with the number of meetings. You have to earn points every weekend if you want to fight for the title. Everyone knows this, everyone strives for it, but it is not easy.

Q: Were you worried during the race because of Charles’ strategy?
Max Verstappen: After the pit stop I came back 12-13 seconds behind Charles. The gap is quite big, but when I saw his speed I realized we have a chance to win back such a deficit. I felt confident in the car, I had the pace, so in the last laps an interesting battle could unfold.

Question You mentioned a series of failures at the start of the season. Now trouble haunts Charles. Do you feel any sympathy for him, knowing how unpleasant such gatherings are during the battle for the title?
Max Verstappen: I’ve always said that problems happen – that’s the race. This has happened to me and many other riders in the past. Unfortunately, failures haunt Charles. If I were in his place I would be upset too because this is a normal reaction.

You always think about how to solve things. We did this at the beginning of the season and drew conclusions. Of course gatherings are angry, but we were able to fix everything. It is important to be constantly prepared for such a scenario because something else can always happen and you should try to solve possible problems in advance.