Verstappen: We don’t have to worry about Mercedes’ pace

Max Verstappen dominated Barcelona: the Red Bull Racing driver set the fastest time in all practice sessions, took pole position, led from start to finish, set the best lap and won the race. At a press conference following the result of the Spanish Grand Prix, the reigning world champion commented on his result.

Q: How comfortable did you feel leading the entire race?
Max Verstappen: It was important to hold onto the lead in the first corner. I knew it was going to be a pretty exciting fight, but I started really well. Then I tried to keep the pace on the Medium tires. I knew all the opponents were behind me on Soft and I created the biggest gap in the last eight rounds of the segment.

Then I switched to hard tyres. I thought this compound would look better, but it didn’t provide enough traction, so my car slid a bit in corners.

The pace was ok, but I couldn’t create enough of a lead. At least the hole I wanted. I did as many laps on this set as needed and at the last pit stop I switched to Soft. These tires were much more fun to drive.

Q: Why did you decide to start on Medium?
Max Verstappen: In my opinion, the difference between Medium and Soft was minimal, but Medium allowed a little more rounds than Soft. That’s why I decided to start on Medium.

Q: Can you go even faster if needed?
Max Verstappen: I think so, if I had to catch up. But during the race this was not necessary. I had to check the tires to drive a segment of the required length.

Question You have been warned for crossing the white lines and crossing the boundary of the track. Can you tell us more about why you left the job?
Max Verstappen: I crossed the white lines three times. Sometimes it happens – on some tracks it’s quite easy to go outside the limits, and I had problems crossing the white lines on the hard tyres. But after I received the final warning, I started to stay away from these lines. Actually it wasn’t a big problem.

Q: In the individual standings you have a 53 point lead over your closest competitor, you have led every lap in the last two races and have led all sessions in Barcelona. How much fun is the current part of the season for you?
Max VerstappenA: This is a good period. But you know, we keep working to get more speed. I’m happy with the car and the past weekends have been very successful for me. The weekend in Barcelona is one of those where everything went really well.

We know that we are waiting for the route ahead, where the situation will not be so good. There are still many races ahead and in each of them we will try to perform successfully and win.

Q: What do you think of Mercedes’ pace?
Max Verstappen: I think they had a very strong race. Mercedes added, but we have nothing to worry about. We have to concentrate on our work and keep improving the car. At the moment everything looks great, but in this world you cannot stand still. We need to keep learning – after this race, for example, we need to understand why the hard tires didn’t work on our car.

Let’s see how further events will develop. I don’t know if there will be numbers that are better or worse for them. Let’s see.

Q: Do you agree that you will have to pay more attention to Mercedes’ form in the future during the season, despite the advantage over them? Why did your prediction that Sergio Perez finish second didn’t come true?
Max Verstappen: Honestly, I don’t have an answer, because their shape can depend on the characteristics of a particular number. I don’t have an answer because I don’t know.

Why didn’t Sergio finish second? Don’t know.

Question: How did the team react to you ignoring the request and not slowing down after a warning about crossing the route limits?
Max Verstappen: I stayed away from the white lines and just rode the laps faster. So I didn’t do anything wrong.

They didn’t know how fast I could go and just told me I did a fast lap. I knew I would succeed and just stayed away from the white lines. I think the team and I will laugh about it. Right after the finish I was joking about it with Helmut Marko, and I’m pretty sure everyone in the team is pretty happy.

Q: Lewis said he wants to fight you again for the win. What do you think of this perspective?
Max Verstappen: It is much better for the sport if several teams compete at the same time. I think Mercedes is aiming for more, and it will be great if more racers start fighting for wins. I hope that during the season the battle will intensify and more teams will join us next year.