Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen was in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday ahead of Sunday's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, taking part in a media event where he took to some of the emirate's sand dunes on a motorbike to demonstrate his adeptness on two wheels as well as four.
Afterwards the Dutch teenager took time out to discuss the experience, his debut season in Formula One that included his first win, at the Spanish Grand Prix in May soon after joining Red Bull from Toro Rosso, and his skills in wet conditions.
On tackling the UAE sand dunes on a motorbike
“It was good fun. It was the first time in the dunes with a bike so I enjoyed that. I took it quite easy, it wasn’t like I was going flat out otherwise I would have crashed.”
Reflecting on his 2016 season
“It has been a great season. I am very happy with it. It has been good to think about the results that I have had. It is important to enjoy the moments but focus ahead again.”
On his drive from the back of the field to third in Brazil two weeks ago
“I didn’t expect at all to come back from 16th to third. It was very surprising for me as well. I knew I had the pace to be on the podium, and if we had done a different strategy we could have easily been second. At the end of the day it was better to finish third like this because it gave me much more fun, and I think not only for me.”
On whether he rematched his performance in Brazil
“I did look at it. I was very happy and it was good to look back at it from the outside to see what happened around you as well. You can always learn from it and once I have seen it that is it – done. Of course I enjoyed it but you have to focus ahead to this race as it is an important one.”
On why he was so impressive in the wet
“It is just something natural. I started that [racing in the wet] in go karting but it is not because of that it made a difference because other drivers have been in go karting as well. It is just something that I spoke a lot about with my dad [Jos, the former F1 driver] since I was very young. So I have been always doing that, in go karting, F3 and F1.”
On whether he thinks having a full pre-season testing with Red Bull will help him in 2017
“Not only that, but my experience of getting older and getting more experience of Formula One [will help too]. I think we will constantly improve, and plus with the better preparation in the winter that will help as well.”
On his winter break plans after Sunday’s race
“My plan is just to relax actually. Stay home mainly and spend time with family and friends.”
On his approach to social media
“On Twitter I am not following anything from Formula One. I think it is very important to not be too much on social media. You have a lot of positive comments but also negative ones and at the end of the day that shouldn’t affect you but it is much more important not to read it so you just don’t know.”
On his improved qualifying performances since the summer break
“It is just general experience with the car and some unlucky qualifying sessions before that with some rain, or red flags when I was doing my lap. I knew that was always pretty normal and you are also racing someone who has been in the team for a long time and he knows the car better. So you just have to build up to it. I have to say, especially after the break, it has been going pretty well, especially the last four or five races, and that is not the issue anymore.”
On his relationship with Sebastian Vettel
“He phoned me after Mexico [when the Ferrari man accused Verstappen of deliberately holding him up in the closing laps last month] and we had a good talk. Everything was cleared very quickly. We are racing drivers at the end of the day, so it is not something big to clear.”
On expectations for what he and Red Bull can achieve in Abu Dhabi this weekend
“It will be tricky for us on the straights, that is for sure. Hopefully we can balance it with the corners that we have there. I think still Mercedes will be very strong and it will be a good target to be close to them in qualifying again. Lets see. I think they are too strong for us to beat.”
On how important taking fourth place in the drivers’ championship from Vettel is to him
“It would be a nice bonus but at the end of the day if I finish second, third, fourth, fifth, 10th or last it does not make a big difference. The only place that matters is first.”
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