Verstappen: “This age thing won’t last”

Did you hesitate when receiving the proposal from Toro Rosso, last summer ?

Normally, it is only after piloting a F1 that we know if we are ready. I agreed to take the risk of signing without having covered a single meter because Toro Rosso promised to give me the necessary experience during the testing sessions that we were going to carry out. From then on, I couldn't say no.

James Key, the technical director of Toro Rosso, says he is amazed by your technical background. Where is he from ?

Of my father. We always had long conversations about chassis or engine settings in karts... He started explaining to me at a very young age how he set up his single-seaters. When I started in F3, his advice became even more important. In the evening, we reviewed what could be changed on a car and the impacts it could have. Even before I slipped into the cockpit of a car, I knew in theory what was going to happen if I did this or that thing.

In general, do you pay attention to what people say about you?

I don't read what is written about me, whether good or bad. I focus on my job to do it as best as possible. The rest doesn't belong to me. I had a little trouble with interviews a few months ago, but it's better now. And then, you know, I'm going to get old... This age thing won't last very long.

The full interview with Max Verstappen can be discovered in the AUTOhebdo F1 2015 Guide, now available digitally available on all platforms, and on newsstands tomorrow.