Max Verstappen says he won’t ever be snug on this yr’s championship battle due to how aggressive the season has been to date.
Pink Bull began 2024 in glorious type, with Verstappen profitable 5 of the primary seven races, and ending second from pole place in Miami. Whereas there have been two additional wins since then, the final 4 races have yielded only a solitary podium, and Verstappen is cautious of the challenges from a number of fronts, even when he’s much less involved concerning the lead to Belgium after taking an influence unit penalty.
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“It’s by no means snug,” Verstappen mentioned. “There’s all the time issues that may go mistaken or can occur to you. So each weekend it’s good to be in prime type.
“I believe it shifts a bit of bit. For positive, continuously McLaren has been actually fast. Mercedes has been fast, however not in all places. And from our aspect, we have now a bit of labor to do, we all know that. We’ve got a couple of issues to research as properly, what to do with the automotive for the rest of the season.
“However however, in fact, having an engine penalty [at Spa-Francorchamps], I believe if all the automobiles had that, their race would additionally look very completely different. So it’s not particularly reasonable to totally have a look at my race coming from P11, as a result of in the event you simply begin with them, the race may be very completely different.
“I believe there’s issues that possibly we will do completely different, or analyze the issues that we’ve delivered to the automotive. And we’ll analyze all of that now over the break.”
High of the checklist for evaluation from Verstappen’s standpoint is the best way the RB20 makes use of its tires after having incessantly seen McLaren show stronger tempo in direction of the top of stints.
“I believe our principal concern is the automotive,” he mentioned. “That’s what we should always concentrate on primarily, as a result of I believe in the event you have a look at Checo’s weekend [in Belgium], it was very optimistic, I might say. In fact, within the race, it simply reveals that we have now difficulties with the tires – the tire life – so I believe that ought to be our principal precedence.”
Mercedes’ run of three wins in 4 races has seen one other menace to Pink Bull emerge, however concurrently prevented Lando Norris from considerably closing the 78-point hole to Verstappen within the drivers’ standings – one thing the Dutchman is seeing as a optimistic.
“Incredible … I imply, I desire to have it like that than one staff out of the blue dominating each single race,” he mentioned.
