07/10/2020
NEWS STORY
F1 returns to the Nurburgring! How are you feeling heading into the weekend?
Max Verstappen: I'm feeling good heading into the weekend, I feel very relaxed and I'm looking forward to driving a track that we haven't been to in Formula One, at least for me anyway. It's exciting to go to the unknown, similar to Mugello.
Are you a fan of the track and could the weather mix things up this weekend?
MV: I haven't raced at the Nurburgring since Formula 3 so I'm excited to go back there to see what a Formula One car can do. It's a very technical track, I like it. The weather looks like it's going to be a lot colder than the races we've had so far this year, and there may be a little bit of rain so hopefully that will make it an even more interesting race weekend.
Honda announced they're leaving the sport at the end of next season. Does that change anything heading to the next round?
MV: It is of course a shame that Honda are leaving Formula One, especially as we have such a good relationship and we really see the dedication of the people involved in the project which has always been very important for me. In terms of what that means at the moment and what we are focused on then nothing has changed. We still have the rest of this season and next season to focus on together and we are still trying to be on the podium every single race, that's a good target for us. Making sure that we maximise all the results that we can all the time.
What have you been up to in the week off between races? We saw you went karting at the weekend.
Alex Albon: I haven't done much with the time off as the weather hasn't been great in the UK. I've just stayed at home, relaxing and hanging out with my family, but I did go karting on Saturday. It was a lot of fun racing in the wet on slick tyres in rental karts!
The Eifel Grand Prix sees F1 return to the Nurburgring. Is this a track you enjoy?
AA: The Nurburgring is a really cool track and I raced there in Formula Renault and F3. It's got its own unique character with some really cool, high speed cambered corners which are always fun for a driver. I think it's going to be very quick this year but the weather will also be bad so I will be surprised if it's dry at all. I think we should expect some really cold wet weather running so it will be important to get the laps in when we can. It's going to be an interesting weekend and we'll have to get the waterproofs out!
What are your thoughts following Honda's announcement they'll leave the sport at the end of 2021?
AA: It's sad that Honda are leaving the sport as I've really enjoyed working with them, they're a great bunch of people. From my side, it doesn't change anything heading into the race weekend. As a driver, we're focused on the job in hand and making sure we finish our partnership with Honda as strong as we possibly can.