Verstappen: You have to trust your team

The win at Zandvoort allowed Max Verstappen to extend his championship lead and it is quite possible that this trend will continue at Monza, as the Italian track, which requires minimal downforce, is a perfect match for the Red Bull Racing car.

Question In the home race you achieved your 30th Formula 1 victory in front of the stands full of Dutch fans. How would you sum up this incredibly successful weekend, what does this achievement mean to you?
Max Verstappen: You know, I wouldn’t call this race easy, but the taste of victory is all the more pleasant. We failed to fully implement the most preferred tactics, this made the task a bit more complicated, but this was until the last action of the safety car. I think we are more competitive on softer compound rubber.

When the safety car came back on track at the end of the race, we were of course able to switch back to soft tires, which suit us better and return to the lead.

Q: How hard was it to stay in the leading group during the race?

Max Verstappen: Yes, it was difficult. In my opinion I shared my opinion about the tires with the team during the race. I said at the time that it is better not to use hard rubber, but it had to be done when the virtual safety car (VSC) mode was announced. It happened at the wrong time and when we got back to the track it was clear that we lacked pace on the hard tires compared to the Mercedes cars on the Medium.

I think our advantage was big enough and we could still be ahead until the end of the race. But the rivals would certainly have come much closer, even though we were 11.5 seconds ahead at the time.

But the safety car pulled away again and it was no longer possible to stay on the Hard tires. I had to go to the pits even though I didn’t ask. But you have to trust your team, their ability to make the right decisions, and this decision really turned out to be the right one.

We had a pit stop and received the Soft kit. Of course they rolled back. But George Russell also went to the pits for soft tires so we were back in 2nd position. And then we had a surprisingly successful restart and the advantage in maximum speed allowed me to accelerate well before the 1st corner.

Q: When you analyze the race as a whole, were you surprised that your closest rivals were representatives of the Mercedes team and not Ferrari?
Max Verstappen: I was just surprised they were so fast on harder tires. I would say that the rubber compounds C1 and C2 are really very hard. Looks like we just couldn’t get it to work effectively, but they did.

I think this made our task a little more difficult, but we could pay for ourselves once we got back to the soft tires. Although I’m willing to admit, I expected the Mercedes cars to be a little slower and the Ferraris a little faster.

Q: This season has been fantastically successful for you and for Red Bull Racing you are in favor of the seventh year. Can you say that right now you feel most comfortable with this team and behind the wheel of this car?
Max Verstappen: Yes, but I think it’s normal, because I’ve spent so much time with this team. With each year that goes by, you get closer to the team, but that’s what you hope for, does it make sense?

It’s not easy to drive this car because when the regulations change in the championship, sometimes you have to start everything from scratch. I have to admit that in the first races there was still a period of adjustment and the RB18 didn’t quite suit me. In addition, these machines are quite heavy. Of course, as the weight of the car decreased, it became more pleasant to fly.

Q: When the safety car came out and you made a pit stop, it seemed like you had to be ahead of both Mercedes drivers to win. Were you surprised by this team’s decision to pit one of their cars because in doing so they removed some sort of buffer sitting between you and Lewis Hamilton?
Max Verstappen: It’s always easier to talk after the finish, but I think their decision to call George Russell for a pit stop was still the right one because with the speed we had on soft tires I would have surpassed both, because it difference in grip levels was quite essential.

Q: Lewis believes your advantage this year comes from a great car built by Adrian Newey and Red Bull Racing. To what extent do you think he is right? And if someone else got behind the wheel of the RB18, could he achieve such dominance too?
Max Verstappen: Of course a lot depends on the team, but Lewis won titles thanks to Mercedes. That’s how Formula 1 works. A good car is the most important factor, but when it comes to an exceptional driver – and Lewis certainly is – he can get ahead of his partner.

In the most important races you have to be able to stay calm, not make mistakes, and if you can win those races you are a really good professional. These racers are different from the rest, although they are also fast, not as good. In general, the car is a very important factor, but the victory can only go to one of the two partners, and this is where you have to prove yourself.

Q: In Spa you said the Belgian track is perfect for your car, and where you need more downforce it will be more difficult. In Zandvoort it was more difficult for you, but you won anyway – can you say after that RB18 has no more weaknesses?
Max Verstappen: It has no obvious shortcomings, but we know that on some tracks we are really stronger than our rivals, and we also know that where more pressure is needed it is harder for us to fully exploit the car’s potential.

But when we talk about the season as a whole, the calendar has most of the tracks that require an average level of downforce, and that’s where our car is very effective. That is why we are already looking forward to the race in Monza.