Max Verstappen had a light-hearted moment with a journalist: “I don’t have four wins, I have five!”
It’s one of his home Grands Prix – but more importantly, it’s Red Bull’s home race. Max Verstappen is aiming for a sixth career victory at the Red Bull Ring, and he spoke about it during Thursday’s media day.
Max Verstappen’s Words
At the start of the press conference, a funny exchange with a journalist:
Journalist: “You’ve had four wins here, Max. Are you aiming for your fifth?”
MV: “Fifth? I’ve had four?”
Journalist: “Yes, four wins.”
MV: “Five… look, I’ve had five!”
After setting the record straight, Verstappen continued: “Obviously, my goal is always to give it everything and try to add another win. In the past, we’ve had some great races here – even some unexpected victories – so I always enjoy coming back. That said, we’re not coming into this weekend as favourites, that’s for sure, but as always, the team and I will try to optimise everything we can.”
“It looks like it’ll be quite a hot weekend, so tyre management will be a key challenge. But I’m excited, I’m here to do my best and hopefully fight for a podium.”
Then, some insight into the RB21’s latest updates: “We’re bringing some updates to Austria. The team has worked really hard to get them ready in time, and I’m happy we have something new to try. Every small step forward can help us become more competitive. Of course, we know the other teams are also developing throughout the season, so we need to keep pushing hard to close the gap.”
“Am I a friend of the Red Bull Ring? I don’t know… it’s always worked out well for me here. There are just some tracks that suit you more naturally than others, and this is one of them. I really enjoy the rhythm, especially in sectors one and three with the faster corners – you need confidence and flow. And of course, you also need a car that performs well here, and over the years we’ve had a decent package at this track.”
“Last year we put together a really strong lap in qualifying – everything clicked perfectly, including the prep, and that gave us a good advantage. The race itself was tougher, more of a fight, but starting from the front certainly helped.”
Finally, on the day’s big rumour: “As for Sebastian Vettel possibly returning to Red Bull… well, I think it would make sense for someone who achieved so much with the team to come back in some role. He’s always had a good relationship with Red Bull, even after leaving. I didn’t know they were in talks, but I’m sure there would always be room for Seb if he wanted to come back.”
Photo: Red Bull Racing
