30/11/2021
NEWS STORY
How do you reflect on the Qatar GP?
Max Verstappen: It wasn't too bad and it wasn't too good! I was positively surprised by the overtaking possibilities there, the start was good and necessary of course after the penalty. We still lacked quite a bit of pace compared to Mercedes so we'll see how we get on this weekend. The track in Qatar was definitely one of my favourites, it was a lot of fun to drive.
What are your thoughts and expectations heading to Jeddah?
MV: I've driven the track on the simulator and it seems like a really fast track, so there's no room for error. Of course, there will always be a bit of guess work as we haven't driven on the track there yet. It's going to be interesting and I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's been fun to go to different tracks again this year.
The next two races are very important for the Championship battle, how are you preparing for the final two races of the season?
MV: I'm feeling calm, I know that I will always try to do the best that I can and we'll just find out where we are going to end up. Nothing has been decided yet and we are all up for the challenge, there's still a lot of racing left to do and we are going to give it our all that's for sure. It's going to be an exciting end to the season.
You have now experienced the Jeddah track on the sim, what did you make of it?
Sergio Perez: It looks like a really fast circuit, so I am excited to get out there and see how it feels in the car for real. I don't think I've ever driven on such a fast circuit before with so many high-speed corners, so I think it will be quite a challenge. Everyone is in the same position and hasn't had the opportunity to race there yet so practise sessions will prove to be very important to get our eye in.
Reflecting on the fourth place in Qatar, do those points now feel very important in the context of the race for the Constructors' Championship?
SP: Those points in Qatar and the last three races were really important in the Constructors' Championship. We've managed to close the gap to Mercedes and now it's time to go all in, we've got nothing to lose, and we will give our very best. If we manage to have two perfect races as a Team then I am sure that we are going to be able to come out on top.
You have been in Formula One for 10 years but how does racing in this intense title fight compare to previous experiences?
SP: It is a very unique challenge, and these final two races will epitomise that. I'm enjoying it a lot coming to the end of the season with such an important fight on our hands. I'm really looking forward to Jeddah and then Abu Dhabi, this is why you start racing, for moments like this.
Stats & Facts
Jeddah is the hottest climate visited by Formula One this year, with the average high temperature in December reaching 30.7 degrees C (87.3 degrees F). Fortunately, the race also has the latest start time, after sunset at 20:30 local time.
This is the 250th Grand Prix to take place since Red Bull claimed its first win in constructor history, when Sebastian Vettel won the 2009 Chinese GP from pole position. A victory this weekend would be the 75th for the team.
Speaking of the number 75, Max coincidentally set the 75th fastest lap in Red Bull's constructor history at the Qatar GP. It was also the 75th fastest lap for the Honda Motor Company.
Saudi Arabia is the largest nation on Earth without any permanent rivers, although it does contain many valley areas - known as "wadis" - in which rivers can occasionally form.
Currently under construction, the Jeddah Tower is planned to be the tallest skyscraper in the world, and the first to be in excess of one kilometre in height. The chief architect is Adrian Smith, who also designed the current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Checo and Max have finished on the podium 21 times this year, just one short of the total scored by the team in the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined!