F1 | Verstappen: “This weekend our opponents will be closer”

The Dutch driver always confirms himself as the direct opponent of Mercedes. Currently, Max Verstappen is second in the world rankings and has achieved one victory and five podiums so far. Ahead of the Spa Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend, the Red Bull driver said he is excited to be able to compete on what he describes as his favorite circuit, but is aware that they will not be the favorites to win.

“There have been ups and downs in terms of results in recent years, but you never know. We don't expect this race to be favorable in terms of adapting our package to the characteristics of the track, but we will push hard as we have done in every race and try to get the best possible result. We are second in the team and rider championship, so now we just have to try to take advantage of the moment. There are a lot of long straights which are conducive to overtaking, but I also expect that the guys behind us in qualifying will be very close and knowing that Mercedes has a lot of power, obviously they will also be very fast.".

At Spa, Verstappen only achieved one podium, but regardless of this, he really appreciates the Belgian circuit:

“I love Spa, it's my favorite circuit on the calendar so I'm looking forward to driving there. It's also a little more old school, so there aren't many escape routes. My favorite part is the Pouhon curve (downhill left bend, ed.), finding the right balance in sectors one, two and three with the long straight and the infield is key and so there are always compromises here and there.”

Obviously this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there will not be stands full of fans ready to support Verstappen:

“The orange army is usually in full force at Spa so it's a shame we won't have the fans this year”.