Max Verstappen: “My best season so far”

He only missed nine points Max Verstappen to sign his best result at the World Championship F1 in 2020. Outpaced by Valtteri Bottas in the race for the honorary place of vice-world champion behind Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman of Red Bull will have been the fiercest opponent of both Mercedes W11 last year.

Winner of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on the Silver Arrows field at Silverstone and in the final of Abu Dhabi, “Mad Max” will once again not be unworthy, especially since its car still retained a deficit in pure performance compared to the W11s.

“Mercedes was annoyed by the difference in top speed with Ferrari the previous year, specifies Verstappen on the Ziggo Sport channel. I think they had to work a lot to compensate for that and we at Red Bull ended up being victims of that, I think. »

The success at Silverstone had, however, given some comfort to the Batavian driver, after a real disappointment at the season opener in Austria at the home event for Red Bull, despite three podiums in the process. “Silverstone was my best victory this year, because it was completely unexpected, admits Verstappen. Mercedes was so dominant back then. »

I didn't think I would win and I didn't feel like we were going to win a race this year. This victory was truly a great moment. »

Enough to draw a rather positive assessment of the very special season that 2020 was, before a year 2021 where Max Verstappen will have to deal with the arrival of Sergio Pérez at Red Bull. “I always look at myself very critically to see what can be improved, underlines the person concerned.

I think I performed better this season than last year. You want to be as consistent as possible without making any mistakes. Of course, there are always moments that could be better, but I don't think there is a driver who goes flawlessly for an entire season, not even Lewis.

You are always trying to work on yourself. I certainly can't complain about 2020. I think it was my best season so far. It is important for the team that we can now start the [2021] fight with two cars. I think Sergio is still performing very well in the race. Aggressive, but in control. »