The Australian Grand Prix was a race where Max Verstappen had remarkably little success. A two-time world champion, he was on the podium only once in Melbourne, where he did not win. That should happen this weekend.
Now that I know it, it was very strange. The sentiment surrounding Max Verstappen after last year’s Australian Grand Prix was particularly negative. His Red Bull was too heavy and therefore not fast enough, and also, not reliable. The Dutchman indicated he believes his second world title and second world title in three races from 2022 is a long way from his retirement in Melbourne. “But we knew the car had a lot of potential,” he says now. That second world title certainly came. By force.
But that poor weekend in Melbourne set the precedent for the relatively modest figures Verstappen could deliver in Australia. “In recent years, we’ve never had a good start to the year,” he explains. “Had this Grand Prix been somewhere else on the calendar, I would have had better results here. But now there are good opportunities for a good result.
Verstappen has been to Australia seven times before. He has been eliminated three times and his third place finish in 2019 is his best finish. That should change this weekend. Now Red Bull have clearly shown they have the best car in the first two races of the season. The progress started after last year’s Grand Prix in Melbourne.
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Nyck de Vries is in Melbourne for the first time. AlphaTauri’s Dutch driver has arrived in Australia just in time. With practice and practice, he can quickly become better. Read about his first experiences here: ,, For the past few days, I have enjoyed myself very much.
Verstappen fell ill two weeks ago ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but nevertheless improved from fifteenth to second on the grid. In Australia, Verstappen said he was still struggling with the after-effects of his illness.
“Initially I didn’t expect the three-week gap between this race in Australia and the next race in Azerbaijan. But then I got really sick and it bothered me a bit since then, especially in the last race,” Verstappen said. “For me, the next three weeks are mainly about getting back to full fitness and running a full training program.”
Verstappen said he felt his lungs were missing in Saudi Arabia. “After I drove a fast lap in the first free practice, it took me two laps to breathe normally again.”
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