“As a child I dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 driver, winning races and maybe even becoming a champion. It’s happened and checked now, but not much has changed for me. The pressure has eased a bit, but I want to have it all the time and win everywhere.”
Max Verstappen kicks off the season in Bahrain and is a bettor’s favorite. The 24-year-old Red Bull driver is writing sports history in Bahrain this weekend. For the first time in history, the F1 season starts with a Dutch world champion. In the case of Golf, it remains with the number 1 on the nose of his Verstappen RB18.
“Of course I want to continue last season’s streak and win this top prize. Is this realistic? It’s still hard to decide where we are. I don’t know what to say yet. For many questions and answers, c “It’s just too early. Qualifying will give the first indication tomorrow, but I’m just as motivated as last year. Maybe even more!”
no laziness
Verstappen ensures that comfort and convenience are not on the agenda. “I grew up to be like that. When I was a little kid, I still had a lot to learn to become a professional. So things like that shouldn’t sneak up on me. My father taught me: “The 2021 results will be hard to see, but we will try to repeat the trick.”
One thing is clear in the paddock: Verstappen is reassuring after two weeks of successful testing. “Testing went well and it’s good that the updates to the car for the last day worked and saved time.”
Verstappen set the fastest time late in the session, but this was a time when teams focused more on reliability than speed.I
The contrast between the brand new and the deposed champion was great last week. While Lewis Hamilton complained about a grumpy, irritable and indomitable Mercedes, Verstappen casually taunts, thinking his English rival was always complaining, opting for the foreign role and then smashing the rest of the field to shreds. “Soon they will be competitive again.”
“I was a bit shocked”
With the first Grand Prix approaching, the seven-time champion is slightly less gloomy but cheerfully different. “I was a bit shocked during testing and we still basically have the same car,” said Hamilton.
“A week is too short to solve all the problems, but we have learned a lot. I’ve been playing for this team for ten years, I know how good we are and I hope we’ve taken a step forward. I’m not running. From blocky stumbling blocks, I like to solve them together.
Hamilton sees Abu Dhabi win and miss his eighth world title on the final lap of the season due to a controversial race management decision, and Hamilton says he is burying the past. “It’s not a heavy burden for me… I don’t carry it anymore and I don’t hold a grudge. I can’t change what happened there.”
Hamilton is focused on the future. “I want to be as good this year as I was in the last races of 2021.” The Brit ends the race with a stab to the second: “I will be more aggressive this season.”
“Very very bad car”
The apotheosis in Abu Dhabi is also a thing of the past for Verstappen. And discussion too. “People forget that there are more Grands Prix than Abu Dhabi. I had the most pole positions, the most wins and last year I had a clear lead on most laps. .. I don’t think I have much to prove. † I deserve this title.”
Verstappen is getting bolder and more cynical by the day due to Mercedes’ continued underdog role. “Yes, they have a really bad car and they are the last. That has been the case since 2017.”
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Source: NOS
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