Verstappen looking to make up for past misfortunes in Canada

40

Max Verstappen has been under fire in recent weeks after making a number of costly, high-profile mistakes in the opening races of 2018.

His crash in final practice in Monaco last weekend meant he started the race from the back row of the grid.

He battled his way back into the points, but ninth was still a disappointment for a driver who has been expecting to be in contention for victory.

As a result of his uneven start to the season, Verstappen is in sixth place in the drivers championship. He has just inder half the points of his Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo.

His approach has been criticised by journalists, pundits and even leading lights within his own team. So it's vital that he gets back on track in the next race, the Canadian Grand Prix at the the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Unfortunately it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for him in the past. Last year he retired from the race with a battery failure.

"The 2017 race ended with disappointment for me, as I had to stop after only 10 laps with a technical issue," he said. But the 20-year-old is confident that he won't suffer the same failure this season.

"Our car as it is now should perform well in Montreal so I am hopeful of achieving a solid result and making up for last year."

F1 insiders pile on their criticism of Max Verstappen

The circuit is notorious for the "Wall of Champions" on the outside of the final chicane, which has claimed many big names over the years. Verstappen is determined not to be among them next weekend.

“Across all of Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve I think the last chicane is really important to get right," he said.

"You arrive at such high speed so when you hit the braking point the brakes can be a bit cold which means you have to be careful and get it right every time.

"This will also set you up for the exit where you come very close to the wall," he said. "It is important not to brush it as you can damage the rim.

"A millimetre or centimetre doesn’t make too much difference, just don’t touch the wall!"

On the whole, Verstappen was looking forward to the first visit of the year to North America.

"Turn one and two have a pretty cool atmosphere," he said. "The grandstands are usually full at that part of the track and it creates a small stadium feel.

"This makes the start a bit more special.

"Besides that, I’m always excited to get back over to the American continent," he added. ""I really enjoy being there. The people, food and atmosphere are always amazing."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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.