Letting others speak and focusing on his mission: this is how Max Verstappen acts, and the three-time reigning world champion will not change anything about this approach in the weeks to come. In a season which took a rather unexpected turn during the summer, he still leads the championship at six Grands Prix of the term but continues to see the threat of Lando Norris grow, while McLaren has taken the lead in the constructors’ championship at the expense of Red Bull.
However, the start of the 2024 campaign was great for Max Verstappen, which still gives him a lead of 52 points over his closest pursuer. However, behind the scenes there was turmoil. First with the Horner affair at the start of the year, which was followed by several announcements of departures, first and foremost those of chief technical director Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.
This strange atmosphere at Red Bull has loosened the tongues of the competition, Zak Brown even going so far in recent months as to evoke an environment “toxic” and a stable “destabilized”. Comments not really to Max Verstappen’s taste.
“People who say all sorts of things should just focus on their own stable”sweeps away the Dutchman in an exclusive interview given to Motorsport.com. “It’s not specifically against Zak Brown, in fact, it applies to everyone. People just need to focus on themselves, and that’s what I do too.”
Max Verstappen is fighting for a fourth world title.
Photo de: Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen is equally perplexed by the rumors that have emerged in recent months, but never proven, about suspicions of the use of an asymmetric braking system by Red Bull. Some have thus made the link between Red Bull’s difficulties from May onwards and an amendment to the technical regulations made by the FIA during the summer in order to fill a loophole with a view to 2026.
“People are always inventing different things”observes Max Verstappen with indifference. “I find it really weird that they make things up like that, but that’s how it is. It’s part of the game, but I usually let it go.”
“I’ve been in F1 for ten years now, and I don’t waste my time with all these stories. Anyway, I hardly read anything about F1. Of course, sometimes I see something, or someone one asks me if I saw what this or that person said But I always say people can think what they want, I’m not going to waste my energy on that I really don’t care about that. what others say.”
A priori reassured by the progress shown by his team in Baku and Singapore, after having hit rock bottom at Monza, Max Verstappen focuses on the final sprint, returning to real adversity in the fight for the title, which he did not not faced since the epic 2021 season. All in a more peaceful context in his eyes.
“Today, there are always four teams at the front whereas at the time, there were only the same two at the front”he emphasizes. “In 2021 it was my first title, so it was already very different. I think I’m a little more relaxed now. Of course I want to win, and of course I’m going to do my best to defend this lead. But the feelings are very different from 2021.”
Comments collected by Ronald Vording
