Max Verstappen says that the GP of Azerbaijan taught him to get the most out of his car and that it laid the foundation for the dominance that he now exhibits.
Last weekend Max Verstappen won his home race for the third time in a row, the ninth race in a row and the eleventh race in 2023. The success series started in Miami, a race after he had to leave the victory in Azerbaijan to his teammate Sergio Perez and the world champion experiences that race as the turning point in the current season.
I think I learned a lot from the race in Baku, how to handle the car, how to set it up, said Verstappen in Zandvoort last weekend. Obviously I didn’t win that race in Baku, but I learned a lot and used different tools, so the race was a bit inconsistent.
But at a certain point I found the right rhythm with everything I tried.
I had pushed my tires a bit too much, but I was like, OK, that’s quite interesting for the next races. I then applied that and it helped me on every track.
During his early days in F1, Verstappen usually flew in with his youthful enthusiasm right from the start and that sometimes led to an incident. But in recent seasons we see a mature Verstappen who is no longer fooled.
That grueling title fight in 2021 has undoubtedly helped the world champion better weigh whether a certain maneuver is worth the risk.
“It had a lot to do with risk management,” he said. “I mean, if I compare it to a few years ago when I wasn’t fighting for the championship, I definitely ride very differently.”
“But that’s fine. I mean, even driving like this, I know I have a car that is capable of a lot.”
“That probably helps to have a little more control, I think.”