2023 was much more valuable than a possible 2024 World Championship title, says Max Verstappen – and expects another engine change before the end of the season…
Max Verstappen expects to suffer another setback in the fight for the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, in the form of a grid penalty: “I think there will be another penalty, yes,” he replies when asked whether he expects to get through the season with his existing engine pool or have to change again.
In Friday’s training session in Mexico, Verstappen encountered a problem with a leak in the cooling system, so he had to switch to another power unit from his 2024 pool overnight. Only four combustion engines are actually allowed per season, but Verstappen is already on engine number 5. He already received the penalty for the first “crossing” in Spa.
Verstappen has also reached the limit of the 2024 target for other components (turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K, battery, control electronics and internal transmission parts). The only buffers left are the exhaust and the external transmission parts, where he is theoretically allowed to make one more change without penalty.
So it’s quite possible that Verstappen will pull a new power unit as early as next weekend in Interlagos and incur another penalty, because the Brazilian Grand Prix is relatively good for overtaking. “It depends entirely on how long the parts we have in the pool last,” the Red Bull driver does not want to explicitly confirm another change yet.
Verstappen: Qatar is our best chance of winning.
The world title will be hard to take away from him either way. In the last three Grands Prix, Lando Norris was only able to reduce his deficit by a total of five points. This means that with five Grands Prix to go, Verstappen has a buffer of 57 points – and before the race in Mexico, he also has the better starting position (2:3) on his side.
Nevertheless, it is not the case “that I am somehow driving more cautiously now. But with the points score, the pressure is more on him. At the end of the day, I would definitely prefer to have a slightly faster car. That would make everything easier. Because at the moment I have the feeling that we are getting these results even though we are not good enough for them.”
Verstappen was second in Singapore and third in Austin, but has not won a Grand Prix since Barcelona in June. Whether he will manage his eighth victory of the season in 2024 depends “on the track. In Austin, I really thought I had a chance. In the end, it turned out differently, even though we like the track. But maybe we’ll get lucky again.”
If so, then most likely “in Qatar,” Verstappen believes, adding: “McLaren is also very strong there because there are a lot of medium-fast and fast corners – and that’s exactly the area in which their car is very, very good. They also have a very strong front axle. That’s why Qatar is a good track for us, but probably an even better one for McLaren.”
It could help him that, at the latest since the one-two in Austin, Ferrari also seems to be a force to be reckoned with in Formula 1 again. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc could take points away from Norris. But: “If McLaren win and the Ferraris come in between, it can also go against us. The pressure is always there,” Verstappen knows.
Verstappen: Dominance was not boring
It is clear that the Red Bull has not been the undisputed best car in Formula 1 for months. This is shown by the results of Sergio Perez, who was eliminated in Q1 at the home Grand Prix in Mexico and has not made it onto a Grand Prix podium since Miami. That was at the beginning of May. In the World Cup, Perez is now only in eighth place.
The situation is very different from 2023, when Red Bull won 21 of the 22 Grands Prix and dominated the season almost at will. And in sporting terms, it is certainly a greater challenge. But: Verstappen insists that he would not consider a possible world championship title in 2024 more valuable than the world championship title in 2023.
“People don’t understand that. It may be that we were dominant last year. But we also did a lot of things right, even though our lead was sometimes quite small. Only the team and I can really appreciate that. And I think last year was a sensational success, with so many races won.”
“The car is not performing as well as we would like at the moment. Driving the car was also more fun last year. That’s the way it is, and we know that. And we are already working for next year. To outsiders, it may look like it’s more fun right now. But I feel differently. I am very proud of what we achieved last year.”
Verstappen also shows his well-known defiance when he says, “I wish everyone good luck who wants to win 19 races in a season.” Or when he is asked about the fact that he will already be in Las Vegas to fix the title anyway: “That’s what everyone tells me. I say: Okay, then do it yourself!”
Slow corners, curbs: Red Bull is struggling with this
At least Red Bull seems to have left the deepest valley behind. Monza was a low point in terms of performance. “After that, we discovered the problem and since then it’s been a matter of correcting it. And in the process, the next problems that we had before then come up, like the slow corners or the curbs,” explains Verstappen.
“Our car is really bad over the curbs and bumps. It just bounces too much, especially compared to Ferrari. On the other hand, McLaren has a lot of grip. They’re not the best over the curbs either, but they have incredible balance in the slow and medium-fast corners that we just can’t replicate.”
A shortcoming that Red Bull can still make up in the 2024 season? Verstappen doesn’t seem too confident in his answer: “We’re working on it. Some things aren’t that easy to fix. If we knew what it was, then yes. But some things you can’t see right away, and then it’s difficult to do anything about them.”
