F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Verstappen targets Red Bull wins towards end of season

Max Verstappen says that he's hoping Red Bull will be in a position to content for victories toward the end of 2017.

Currently the team is still a long way off in terms of performance to front runners Ferrari and Mercedes. Verstappen's best result was third place in China, but he's also had two DNFs in the first six races.

Aware that the team's TAG Heuer-badged Renault engine currently doesn't have the speed necessary to contend for a win, the Dutch teenager said he hopes that will change over the summer.

“At the moment that's still not the case, we have to focus race by race if we can improve on the car," he told Crash.net this week.

“We need more grip on the car. As soon as we have more grip then even if the car drives a bit differently I'll adapt to the situation. I think that's the key.”

Asked what would constitute a successful outcome for the season, Verstappen replied: "If we close the gap, and that we're fighting for victories at the end of the season."

Even though Verstappen is aware that it will be too soon to vie for victory next weekend in Canada, he's still looking forward to the race.

"There is always a big crowd at the Canadian Grand Prix, especially at turns one and two," he said. "You can feel the atmosphere when you’re in the car.

"One of my favourite points on the track is also one of the trickiest - and that’s the last chicane.

"You arrive at the braking point at very high speed and the brakes can be quite cold," he explained. "It’s tricky to really nail this corner.

"It’s always good when you come out in front. There are also tight walls on the exit of the chicane. You should be careful not to brush these as it is easy to damage a wheel rim.

"As usual the cars will run slightly less downforce in Canada so they will be a little looser under braking.

"But we have more grip this year, so it should be more comfortable for everyone compared to 2016."

 
Want to win a trackday experience? All you have to do is subscribe to our FREE newsletter HERE

Gallery: All the pictures from Sunday in Monaco

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Marko: ‘No chance at all’ for Red Bull in Las Vegas

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…

7 hours ago

GM revives bid to join F1 with accelerated talks for 2026 entry

Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…

9 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

10 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

11 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

13 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

14 hours ago