Max Verstappen

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

Verstappen not seeking number 1 status


Max Verstappen says he does not want to be Red Bull's 'number 1' driver.

With the Dutchman all signed up through 2020 but Daniel Ricciardo still yet to ink a new deal, some believe Red Bull is clearly building the team around Verstappen for the future.

But even Australian Ricciardo doesn't see it that way.

"For me, Max's new contract doesn't change anything," he said. "And as long as I don't feel disadvantaged, everything is fine for me.

"I don't want to put any suspicions in my head when it's not necessary," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"I can understand the marketing value of Red Bull making Verstappen the youngest champion, but I don't see that as an obstacle for me," Ricciardo, 28, added.

And even Verstappen, 20, said a situation of full equality at Red Bull is no problem for him.

"I can see that we receive equal equipment and both sides of the garage work equally hard," he said.

"I don't want to be number 1 because I have to be able to beat my teammate with the same car. And the bottom line is that it is more satisfying anyway."

 

Great attitude from both drivers.

 

yup. and they are a killer pairing, perhaps the best on the grid. RBR would do well keeping the two.

 

Unfortunately if/when they get a WDC capable car under their ass I think this relationship will change.

 

Yup for sure, I like and rate both drivers, to me Max does appear to have a more ruthless streak though.

 

I'm telling you right now, next year will be a very different story if RB has a car that can win on merit. Both drivers are capable though I think a lot of the hype surrounding Max is a product of a boring F1 formula where anything other than a procession is latched on to with both hands by the fans. I think it's odd that last week everyone was wondering if Max was going to win in Brazil... questioning if he would take the WDC in 2018. What utter nonsense. When Merc and Ferrari are both running the race, not crashed out (more often than not by Max), or having mechanical issues, RB and yes... Max are not a threat for the win. All that hype is premature.

But Kraftwerk is absolutely correct in that Max is the more ruthless of the two. He's totally unapologetic for any of his misdeeds on the raceway which to me overshadows his undeniable skill. Ric cashed in on his 3 wins that all came under less than full competitive circumstances and now finds himself sitting on the outside. He is also a great talent, but the two of them are not going be dancing together in pit lane anymore if they really do have legitimate chances of taking races next year. It'll take Max clipping him, running him off, or any of this typical antics to sour that duo in a hurry.

 

Tough to compare Mexico vs Brazil...Mexico the high altitude helped the weak Renault. Lets not forget he outqualified Hamilton and came extremely close to Vettel in qualifying so his pace was legitimate. In the race neither Ferrari or Merc in the running had anywhere near an answer

 

I hear you Bas, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. However, all things being equal, all players on the track, all cars working correctly, no one crashing you out.... RB is not going to win a race. Next year could potentially be different but I highly doubt it. In fact, I think Merc is going to absolutely dominate 2018. First, take into consideration the new 3 engine rule and reduced allocations on other components. Renault doesn't have the reliability and I doubt they'll find a fix that allows them to be at the same performance level while at the same time keep any long term reliability. So it's very likely we'll see Max and Ric facing many grid penalties. Second, Ferrari are almost in the same boat... just not as severe. Merc on the other hand do not suffer from any such problems. The only problem they had was their car and they clearly engineered the situation in the second half of the season. I'm really starting to believe that only reason this season was remotely more competitive was due to the new aero regs that slightly leveled the playing field.

 

Apparently they're working on a brand new engine but I do share your concern regarding Mercedes. It should be a walk over by them

 

Merc and Ferrari seem to be the only ones incrementally progressing on their existing PU's while Renault and Honda keep going back to the drawing board in hopes to find that magic bullet... so I think in some ways they'll just re-enter the fray with a lot of unknowns. Ferrari always seem to be on the back foot... working out problems in free practice... playing catch up. Merc is just precision. I'm tired of it all, but I cannot pretend they don't deserve what they've achieved. At this point, the unknown bugs have... or least should have been worked out of this new PU and it's now down to execution. I'd doubt we'd ever see Lewis or Bottas being pushed to the garage from grid on race day due to a spark plug. They just operate in a different way... on a different level. They had the advantage from day one with the new formula and capitalized on every advantage given to them along the way due to homologation, then tokens. But now it really is just down to execution and they do a better job 99% of the time.

RB will continue sit in the bird seat waiting for a crash or reliability issue and they will be there to take advantage like they always have, but unless Renault totally pulls it off with their new designed PU, it'll be more of the same. I do think the team dynamic will definitely change, however. The days of laughing and goofing around between Ric and Max are numbered.

 

On fresh tyres, and nothing to lose, didn't MV brake the lap record; standing since 2004 ?
Got admire Ricky too.....a great driver, and not scared of a battle either.
If the engine holds together, they will be right up with the leaders, and hopefully racing not touring.
Mercedes havn't had issues yet, but what goes round, comes round.....especially if complacency sets in....viz a viz Lewis in practice.....and Ferrari taking their eye off component reliability. Great to watch it all unfold next year. Yabadaba could be good in a fortnight.....no-one has anything to loose...so go for it !

 

Yorkie, the reality is, Merc won't become complacent. They're already testing 2018 components on the car now. RB is probably just a tick below Ferrari overall.

 

Rosberg in the press last week stating he thinks Vettel's best chance for a title so far was this year. He feels next year Mercedes will be more dominant. We shall see in testing maybe??

 

I truly hope Ferrari or Red Bull can actually beat Mercedes next year. And that we'll got to at least 4 engines.

 

"Although Ferrari scored a win and a third place in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton’s recovery from last place was the highlight of the weekend. And it was scary.

He did change the gearbox and most importantly the Power Unit: as Auto Motor und Sport has reported, Hamilton was supposed to run an older spec, but after the Q1 crash, Mercedes put the “3.1” spec, the one homologated for the second half of the season. Not only it has by default 15 horsepower more than the one used by Bottas, Mercedes ran the fresh engine at its maximum potential."

Already testing the 2018 engine.....hopefully Ferrari can match this through winter testing.

https://motorlat.com/notas/especiales/3102/why-hamiltons-recovery-in-brazil-was-scary#.WgsuEzIYhw4.twitter

 

Ferrari was dominant for about four years. So was Red Bull. And now Mercedes. It doesn't take more than a winter break for fall from the mountain top. I remember when Renault first came out with their tubo engine and everyone laughed. Within a couple of years, everyone was running turbos. What F1 needs is to get away from Power Units and get back to engines.

 

Would be rather nice but Liberty are in a prison of their own making with the large teams owning them rather than the other way around. Ferrari and Mercedes will not lose any sales or money in the long run if they both left F1. They are simply 'beyond' F1 in total scope.

I feel its the same for Renault and Red Bull as well.

 

Next years rules are again in Mercedes' favour so doubt they won't be dominant.

 

I won't be what Ferrari and Mercedes do...it will be what someone else does that surprises everyone.

 

Time to refresh this thread ..so how is lil Max doing so far this year? Seems to be going backwards after a promising start in 2016.

 

Many drivers have gone through a similar phase. He'll come out the other side a more mature driver and the immense innate talent will still be there.

 

Verstappen needs new brain says Lauda

MAY 27, 2018



F1 experts say Max Verstappen needs a change of approach if he is to succeed.

The Dutchman missed qualifying at Monaco after a practice crash -- yet another crucial mistake in 2018.

"His talent is envied by every driver," former F1 driver Felipe Massa said in Monaco.

"But he needs to act more calmly. He needs a little more patience and then he will succeed."

Verstappen's Red Bull bosses were furious, but team principal Christian Horner said the person most upset was the 20-year-old.

"He's a very fast driver, we all know that, and this weekend he has a very fast car. What happened is a cruel lesson. It doesn't get much worse than that," he said.

"He needs to learn and stop making mistakes. He knows it better than anyone. I hope this incident will convince him to change his approach. I don't know what else will."

2016 world champion Nico Rosberg said Monaco is a "huge setback" for the young Dutchman.

"He was faster than Daniel Ricciardo and then he crashed at the dumbest moment," he said.

"He had an almost identical crash in 2016. I wonder if Max is too confident -- risking too much. If you're doing that, there is no track that bites you in the ass more than Monaco," the German added.

"He hasn't seemed to learn at all. It's already the fifth time this year but it's his fourth season in formula one. You can't really says it's inexperience.

"It's a very dark moment for Max. At the moment everything is going wrong for him but I don't have much hope for him anymore," Rosberg told RTL.

Even more brutal is the assessment of F1 legend Niki Lauda.

"What is the solution for him? Changing the brain," said the Mercedes team chairman.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was visibly livid on Saturday, telling Movistar: "What I have to say I have already told Max."

When asked what Marko should tell Verstappen, Lauda told Bild: "I would ask him 'How many times do you want to do the same thing?'

"First, Dr Marko has to tell him this (crash) is not possible while at the same time defending him outwardly. It's a difficult balancing act and I know it's not easy."

Verstappen, having earlier skipped a round of interviews, eventually said he feels supported by Red Bull.

"I have a team that is with me in good and bad times," he said.

"A year ago we had many technical problems but we continued to work together. It's the same thing now."

 

It's not the same thing now Max, YOU are the problem!

 

I hope he pulls himself together. If not it would be a waste of talent. Ultimately he’ll need to realize that he needs to have a paradigm shift of logic and be nothing like what he was conditioned for by his idiot father Jos.

 

Monaco 2018 FP3 after the crash......Max and Helmut Marko

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