Verstappen, a tenth consecutive victory in the viewfinder

In 2023, on the evening of the Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen had just established a new record, with his tenth consecutive success in Formula 1. A series that ended in Singapore, where the Dutchman finished fifth. From, Verstappen has won all the Grands Prix contested, nine in total, and he therefore arrives in Australia with the possibility of equaling his record, this time over two seasons.

The three-time world champion can't wait to do battle on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, a track that is both fast and technical, which benefited from new asphalt when F1 returns to Australia in 2022 . « We're looking forward to racing in Melbourne this weekend. It's a very fast circuit now, which requires a good mix of straight line speed and corner grip, so it's about finding the right compromise. Le recent resurfacing a made la runway beaucoup more smooth et enjoyable à pilot, so us are impatient d'en enjoy »

Winner at Albert Park in 2023, Verstappen will also have to adapt, like the other drivers, to a different tire allocation this season. In fact, Pirelli is bringing the C2024, C3 and C4 tires in 5, the softest in its range, in order to offer more strategic options, but also to counter the problem of heating of the rubber encountered last year, during the numerous end-of-race restarts.

“We also have softer tires than last year, which will make the situation a little trickier in terms of strategy, but we hope it will benefit the race, thanks to a greater number of stops at the stands. »

Lots of work and small changes for Perez

On the side of his teammate, Sergio Perez, the season started well in terms of accounting, each time finishing in second position, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. However, the Mexican pilot has not yet managed to hoist his Red Bull RB20 on the first row of the starting grid, and he hopes to be able to place his machine in a better operating window at this Australian meeting.

« The car has been competitive so far, but Albert Park is a completely different challenge for the RB20 and it will be interesting to see how we perform. We have worked hard as a team since Saudi Arabia to improve some areas that we have identified and hopefully the car will be in a better window. J'ai summer à Milton Keynes with month engineers et j'ai haste de see how to us can us include with a few small changes. »

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Starting from the pit lane in 2023 after going off the track in qualifying, Sergio Perez had reached the finish line in fifth position, not without having passed a particularly eventful Grand Prix! Last year's race was indeed marked by three red flag interruptions, something Perez does not want to repeat this season!

« I think the field will be very competitive this weekend, so it's important that we are fast in qualifying to put ourselves in a good position for Sunday. Last year's race here was a bit crazy, so hopefully it will be a bit easier weekend! »