Max Verstappen: “I never had too much pressure”

Criticized even before his debut in the discipline due to his young age (17 years old), Max Verstappen is making its mark. Just before taking advantage of the summer break, the pilot Toro Rosso came close to his first podium in F1 with a 4th place achieved at the Hungarian GP at the Hungaroring in Budapest.

“I don’t feel more or less pressure (compared to my beginnings). I never had too much pressure, even at the start of the year », indicated Max Verstappen on the official F1 website. “I was a little more cautious about overtaking during the first two races because I wanted to finish the events to gain experience. I was then able to be more courageous when braking by gaining confidence and it improved gradually. »

Max Verstappen hopes to continue the same trend in the second part of the season where he will still have to discover many circuits. “I have to learn every race weekend”, added the Dutchman. “I don't have much experience on circuits outside of Europe and it's quite a challenge to take on. The team helps me a lot. It's just a matter of gaining experience, for example knowing how to get the most out of the tires and optimize the tire settings. car for each qualifying session. »

Max Verstappen occupies 11th place in the Championship with 13 points ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.