Max Verstappen does not have a great history with the Monza circuit. His best result on this track is a fifth position, but the championship leader today explained why.
The eve of this Italian weekend is different than in previous years, Verstappen arrives in Monza in an enviable ranking position and, above all, he arrives for the first time at the wheel of a single-seater that does not fear long straights.
Max hopes to taste the Monza podium, the conditions are excellent as is his form, and the advantage over his opponents does not seem to have affected the hunger for victories in the least.
Last year you took ten pole positions, while this year, at the moment, you are at four. But on Sunday your step is something else …
“Especially at the beginning of the season we didn’t have a great performance on the flying lap. We simply didn’t have the pace, we concentrated on race pace, and the work we did proved us right. In addition, on certain weekends we have focused on other aspects and this explains a bit why we have fewer pole positions and more wins ”.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Erik Junius
We are not experiencing the same intensity this season as in 2021. Is that the case for you too?
“The way I see it this year too the confrontation was tight, apart from I think one or two races. Even in Spa I didn’t know exactly how it would go, we found out lap after lap. From my point of view it is not a very different season compared to last year ”.
You haven’t achieved great results in Monza so far. How do you explain it?
“I know why! We have always been slow on the straights, and this aspect is definitely penalizing on this track. In addition to this, I had some reliability problems, and often right here I had to serve penalties on the power unit front. But with the speed on the straight that we have this year, I hope it can be a completely different weekend than in previous seasons ”.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
In the last few races it seems that you really have an exceptional feeling with the car. What has changed?
“Overall we are in a good moment. I think the reason is mainly the weight, the car was initially very overweight, an aspect that did not help the overall balance of the car. The extra weight was also in the wrong place in the car and this made it a little understeer, an aspect that I didn’t particularly like ”.
Are you having the best time since you’ve been at Red Bull?
“It’s really fun to be part of this team and the atmosphere lately is really good. I find it a very important aspect, if when you don’t win you still have a good atmosphere in the team, I think it is possible to make progress. You must also be patient, you cannot force things, this is what I have learned in the path I have done so far in Formula 1 ”.
Is that why you signed up for such a long renewal?
“That’s why I never left! I trusted the process, someone could have said that ‘it was time to go somewhere else to win fast’, but I trusted the ongoing process at Red Bull and trusted the people on the team. Now this trust is paying off, and I’m really happy to be where I am ”.
You have 109 points of advantage in the general classification. Are you relaxed?
“I’m always relaxed, I was also last year when the lead wasn’t that big, we always felt confident. The advantage we have today is nice, but we still want to win as many races as possible ”.
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