Max Verstappen is increasingly impatient, as Red Bull linger behind pace setting Ferrari and Mercedes this season, but at the same time he is intent on maximising what he has at his disposal.
The Red Bull RB13 coupled to the TAG Heuer (Renault) power unit is simply not doing Verstappen and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo any favours, which is frustrating for the Dutch teenager who believes he is at the top of his game right now.
Verstappen said ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, “Despite racing at my best, I’m racing for fifth. But I want more, I want to win but that’s not happening at the moment.”
“Generally speaking, not much has gone wrong this season. If I look at my own performance, I’ve progressed which is positive. But that’s to be expected as I’m constantly learning and gaining experience.”
It is well known that Red Bull’s design guru Adrian Newey is hard at work developing the current car, while Renault are making incremental upgrades with every race.
But is it enough? “We’re making the most of what we have. After last year, we expected to have made a step forward. Now, we have to work towards achieving that. The car has definitely improved this year, but we have to keep progressing, on both the car and engine front.”
Baku City Circuit has some twisty bits but also boasts the longest straights in Formula 1, thus favouring cars powered by fast engines. Clearly not an area that is going to favour Red Bull.
Asked about his prospects on Sunday, Verstappen said with a smile, “Every circuit that suits our car is a track I love! If we had the fastest engine, it would have been even better! But seriously, the long straight does help with overtaking; it means there is more action..
Heading to Baku Verstappen lies sixth in the championship standings and has only been on the podium once so far this season, with three DNFs in seven races not helping his cause.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
No comments:
Post a Comment