09/12/2020
NEWS STORY
How do you feel now reflecting on the start of the Sakhir Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen: It's still frustrating, we had a quick car and I was looking forward to having a good race for the Team. There were three times during that opening lap that I tried to avoid contact but everyone seemed pretty aggressive and there wasn't much more I could do.
I respect Charles as a driver and these things happen to us all at some point but my race was destroyed and that is also not nice for the Team as they also deserved a good result. The grid penalty for the next race doesn't really mean much now as we can't change the result but these things happen and we all move on.
Looking ahead to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, what are your thoughts about the track?
MV: I'm looking forward to Abu Dhabi and I enjoy the track. Coming from such a short circuit without many corners it will be good to get back to a more normal track with 21 corners. We finished second here last year and we have nothing to lose this weekend so it will be ‘full send'.
It's the last race of the season, are you ready for a break?
MV: It has been a crazy season and we now have one last push in Abu Dhabi and I think many of the team members are ready for a break.
People always ask if it has been a hard year for the drivers but actually it's the Team that it is hard for as they fly earlier than us and have to prepare everything before we even arrive.
It's been so intense for them and although we all love racing everyone is ready to be with their families and enjoy some time out. Although being second or third in the Drivers' Championship doesn't really make a difference to me, we will of course still be pushing for another win. As long as the Team are pushing, which you can see from the upgrades and fastest pit stops, then I am of course pushing.
The circuit layout for the Sakhir Grand Prix provided a wild and chaotic race. How do you reflect on it?
Alex Albon: Sakhir was okay but it was a difficult race and a tricky circuit for us. We were good in the corners but slow on the straights which just made racing much more difficult and we couldn't really show our pace.
We're now in Abu Dhabi at a much more traditional race track and one you know very well. Are you looking forward to it?
AA: Abu Dhabi is a nice one. It's a circuit we've driven a lot in Formula 3 and Formula 2 and it's also one of the circuits I drove at last year in the Red Bull so I can use my experience from 2019 into this year.
We struggled in Sakhir but hopefully this weekend we'll be more competitive.
AA: It's a new weekend in Abu Dhabi and we've done our homework on the simulator so we know what we need coming into this race. It's a circuit where we tend to be okay but Mercedes always seem to be strong here so let's see.
This weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the season finale. Does this change how you approach the weekend or is it business as usual?
AA: It's the last race of the year but that doesn't mean any less effort goes into it. On my side I'm pushing hard to finish the season strong and we'll be giving it everything like we always do.