After a very disappointing race around the streets of Baku last time out where he retired fro the second race in succession from a lack of power from his Red Bull contender, Max Verstappen opened up to the press in Austria on how he was feeling that afternoon, especially as his teammate went on to win the race.
While disappointed that he seems to be getting hit with so many reliability issues, the young Dutchman takes some solace in the fact that they are capable of fighting with the big boys and is now hoping that this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix will give him the opportunity to finally deliver a solid performance from start to finish.
Max, a frustrating race for you in Baku, but in general your lack of reliability has been an issue for you this year. How do you clear your head when you have such a disappointing end to a race such as in Baku?
That's actually pretty simple. You call some friends and you have some fun. And then you re-start again the next race and you try to have a good race. It's really disappointing but what can I do about it. I just have to try to do my best every single weekend and try to finish the race.
Looking on the bright side, are you pleased with the pace of the car at the minute. Do you feel you're closing the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari?
We still need to be faster but we are catching up, which is positive. But yeah, we definitely need to make another step because still in Baku it was a second. Maybe it shouldn't have been a second with all the issues I also had in qualifying but the second sector, where all the corners are, we were second fastest, so I can be a bit positive about that but we are not there yet, so we still need to definitely work hard.
Home race for the team here in Austria. How do you think things will go?
Honestly I have no clue. After my last few races… I don't know. We'll find out on Sunday. I prepared myself on Wednesday on the simulator to have the best possible balance to start the weekend and then we work from and hopefully we score some points.
Mark Webber has recently suggested that drivers shouldn't be penalised for technical issues with grid penalties etc. How do you feel about that – can one separate a driver from a team and vice versa?
I don't know, maybe we should get fines in place but then maybe the team would be bankrupt. I don't know. In one way that's how you can win a championship, on reliability, and that's good for manufacturers, to show who has the best reliability. I don't know.
Max, there's been suggestions since Baku that Sebastian Vettel has a problem with this temperament – controlling his temper. You had some incidents with him last season, would you say that he does have a problem controlling his temper
I don't think so. I don't know. I think Sebastian thought he (Hamilton) brake tested him. That's a different thing. Otherwise he would never have done it, I guess. I don't think he has a real problem, because when you talk to him it's always good. You can feel somebody has issues with that... We are emotional as well. Yes, sometimes you can hear it on the radio, sometimes you can actually see it but I think that's how a human being is, otherwise it would be boring, wouldn't it? Otherwise you would have nothing to write about!
Robert Kubica is talking now about the opportunity that maybe he can make a comeback to Formula One, 80-90 per cent, he thinks. What do you think about his opportunities to make a comeback to Formula One and what do you think of his performance, what he did in Valencia in the private Renault test?
Absolutely. He was a great driver and I think he still is, even though the injury he's had. And I think he's also a very nice personality as well so like Felipe said, he could have had a great career if he didn't have the injury. It would always be good to have him back, absolutely
Max, do you think Red Bull is now on the Ferrari or Mercedes level in terms of chassis, after sorting out some correlation issues and the latest upgrades?
I think it's always difficult to say. I think Mercedes is still ahead, that's one thing. With Ferrari, it's a bit complicated to judge that because in Baku I think we were definitely ahead but we have to wait and see again here. I think we need a few races to see where we are. The teams are not standing still so it's a development process and I think we definitely did a good job on that but we still need to improve, we still need to work harder than the others to definitely catch up to Mercedes.
Max, a bit about the last question; is realistically P5 or P6 where the team is on Saturday, Sunday, or are you getting a little higher already, more chances?
On Sunday. No, even on Saturday I think we should be around that position. Like I said, we are getting closer but we are not in the fight yet to really beat them. I think in Baku we... well, I was stuck behind Perez but I think we were faster than the Ferraris but the Mercedes are still at another level.
We've heard from Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll that even though they might not have raced the tracks, they know them already because they played on video games. Do you think it makes a difference to how fast the younger drivers become efficient on the tracks?
It's good fun and it's actually getting a lot better the last few years, but once you have a simulator like Red Bull has it cannot (be beaten by) a video game, which is quite logical, I guess. But I think for all the people out there to at least have a little bit of a glimpse of it, I think a video game is actually (a good thing) to buy because the tracks, they are mainly laser scanned, so I think that's good. But for us, the most important thing is still with the team and like Carlos said, especially in 2015 it was good for us because some tracks were new to us and it helps us a bit to start in FP1 but now, after three years, it's just mainly to set up the car because you know the track.
Max, I know you recently shot a promo for F1 2017 by Codemasters and it's coming out this fall. What are your impressions of this year's game, given the hard work that they put into it to really try to bring that experience to gamers out there?
Well, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to talk about it, because otherwise... It looks good, it's an improvement again from last year's game and I think it's cool that they're bringing some classic cars into it as well. Any other things, I don't think I can speak about. But it will be good.
Max, you've had reliability problems in Canada and in Baku, while it's also true your teammate had three podium finishes and won the last one. Is it possible to establish any relationship between your style and the problems you have, or in Formula One today is that not possible any more?
No, I don't think so. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, so no. It's always pretty clear what's happening, there's always an explanation what the issue is, why I stop on track, so I don't think so.
Max, can you take us one more time back to Baku. Right after you went out of the race, you went straight to the hotel room. Was it the best decision not to talk with the media then and what happened in that hotel room, is everything still in place?
Yeah. I was alone! I was on my phone but that's it. No. I was very disappointed. It took me ten minutes to find the F1 channel to follow the race. I was very disappointed and I know myself and when I'm very disappointed I know it's better not to speak so that's why I decided not to talk to the media because then I will say things which I think later on I will regret and then a lot of stories will get in the media which is not necessary so that's why I went back.
Sorry Max, one more question: what will you do, then, on Sunday – we don't hope that there's a problem – but if there's a problem at the end, will you go to the camera crews or go to the hotel?
First I will do the Dap and then... I have to change my ones... I mean I'm jumping around and I'm slowly getting out. I don't know. It depends on the situation but normally I will try to speak.
Max, how can you read now Harrison Newey's performance in European Formula Three championship. Adrian is forcing you to (give) a little bit help or you are doing only your own job?
About his son? Ah. We do speak a bit about it a few times but times change, so what maybe worked back in the day now they find better solutions. If he has questions, I'm always there because he's racing for the same team as I did so I think I know the guys quite well, but it's not really to advise or anything, just to share my expressions of back in the day, you know, what I was doing with the team.
Max, some weather predictions say that there might be some rain on Sunday, any opinion about that? What do you hope?
It's nice. Yeah, it would maybe help but the first priority is to finish the race.
Max and Carlos: you were teammates in your first year at Toro Rosso and the goal for Carlos is to get to Red Bull. So what would it feel for you both to be teammates again, because you pushed each other a lot when you were teammates? It was because it was your first year and you were younger, or do you think that maybe you were able to push each other as drivers?
Carlos: It was good fun, definitely. I wouldn't mind repeating it.
Max: Sure, but maybe we should ask for three cars.
Max, would you welcome Carlos back as a teammate?
Well, we had good competition, absolutely, and I like competition but I don't know how it's with the other contracts and stuff so we need to wait and see. I'm pretty sure, sooner or later, I think... anyway we are both racing in competitive cars together. I don't know which team...
