Max: “Nothing wrong with my defensive moves in Hungary”
Published on 28 July 2016 by Mike Motilall
After the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen finished fifth after having been engaged in a fierce battle with Kimi Raikkonen, discussions were popping up front and back. People were questioning the manner how the Red Bull Racing-driver kept the Ferrari at bay. During that battle, the Fin ultimately damaged his own front wing when briefly touching the rear of the RB12.
“From my point of view there was nothing wrong with those moves, otherwise the stewards would have intervened. It was a fight for a position and besides, we are battling with Ferrari in the championship, so for sure I am not going to wave him on. Moreover, it is very difficult to overtake on the Hungaroring, that was evident after my first pit stop, when I couldn’t get pass Raikkonen”, Max explains to Verstappen.nl in Hockenheim.
“You always try to position yourself as best as possible for any move, whether you are defending or attacking. We aren’t Sunday drivers, are we? Senna and Prost were no different. I think true fans adore such a fight.”
Are you able to enjoy a defensive move as much as an overtake? “That depends on which position you are in”, says Max. “If you need to defend while you are at the front, like in Barcelona, then I do. It was of course positive that I was able to keep Raikkonen behind of me in Hungary, because, we eventually landed some very important points for the team.”
The fight with Ferrari will now continue on in Germany. “Ferrari is in general stronger on Hockenheim than on the Hungaroring, because of the straights and the few corners. But we’ll have to wait. It is the first time that I am driving a Formula 1-car here, so it is quite hard to make an educated guess. It is positive though that, the last couple of races, we have gotten closer in the standings. Hopefully we can keep that up.”
How realistic is it to finish on the podium in Germany? “Hockenheim will not be the most easiest track for us. I think that the Hungaroring suited our car better. But you never know”, Max concludes. He scored his first win in Formula 3 on the German track in 2014.
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