Max Verstappen has 35 race wins and two F1 world championships in his Formula 1 career, but he can still remember the ‘chaos’ of his first win in his debut weekend with Red Bull F1.
Just over a year after joining Toro Rosso as a 17-year-old rookie, Max Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull Racing to replace Daniil Kvyat at the 2016 F1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen remembers a lot of last minute preparation before the event.
“It was crazy leading up to that week,” Verstappen told US broadcaster NBC.
“I had to travel a lot. I had to go to Milton Keynes for the simulator, learn about the new team and learn all the procedures.
Max Verstappen, who joined Red Bull Racing aged just 18, admits he felt pressure ahead of his debut with the team.
“There was a lot of pressure,” explained Max Verstappen.
“Some people didn’t seem happy with my decision to be promoted. They thought I was too young and too inexperienced. I’ve never driven a car before
“Looking back now, of course it was a great weekend.”
Max Verstappen remembers hearing words of encouragement from Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner before the event at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya started.
Max Verstappen quickly took the lead of the race after Mercedes F1 teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided on the first lap.
“I also remember Christian coming up to me on the grid before the race started and saying ‘just enjoy yourself’,” said Verstappen.
“It was definitely fun, but I also felt a lot of pressure because I was on a two-stop strategy and the tires were dead towards the end. It was really tough, especially with a car that I’m not so used to.”
“Especially in the last 10 laps it was very difficult trying to minimize tire degradation. Not being completely familiar with the car was also really stressful.”
Even after the race was over and Max Verstappen took his first F1 win in his Red Bull F1 debut, he was still feeling the effects of his hasty preparations.
“After crossing the finish line, I was happy when I won the race, but I wasn’t in my full seat yet, so I had a lot of cramps all over my body,” added Verstappen.
“It was a crazy, chaotic weekend because everything was in a rush.”
Category: F1 / Max Verstappen / red bull