18/10/2023
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen: I'm really looking forward to the race in Austin this weekend, as a Team we have a lot of special memories from there. The atmosphere at the track is also like no other, there are so many Oracle Red Bull Racing fans there to cheer us on. It is of course another Sprint race so it could be quite hectic for us, we only have one session to try and find the optimum balance in the car. The temperatures look to be high too so I'm expecting another tough race. I'm also excited to see the new special fan designed livery on the car, it's going to be cool.
Sergio Perez: I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of racing. Austin and Mexico are two of my favourite weeks of the year, I have such incredible support in both places and that means a lot to me. Even when you can't hear it in the car, you can feel it. I know I have to get back to my best at COTA, it's a fun circuit to drive and I am confident we can perform there. I was in Milton Keynes last week working very hard with the Team to ensure we are as best prepared as possible for the coming weeks. We had some good conversations and I spent time with my engineers to ensure we know where we have been going right, where things have gone wrong and how we can improve.
Stats & Facts
• On the weekend Max became a triple World Champion, he also broke the record for most laps led in a single season, 739, with five races still remaining in 2023. Max's victory in the Qatar Grand Prix was also his 14th consecutive win when starting from pole position, extending what is the longest streak in Formula One history after he broke Michael Schumacher's record earlier this season.
• Max's next victory will be his 50th in F1, at the age of 26, and will see him fifth on the all-time win list. It will also be his 30th GP victory since the start of last season, which in itself would place him ninth on the all-time win list.
• Having increased his lead over Lewis Hamilton to 30 points following the Qatar GP, Checo remains on course to ensure Oracle Red Bull Racing finish first and second in the Drivers' Championship for the first time.
• Max currently leads the Drivers' Championship by 209 points, surpassing the largest-ever winning margin which came in 2013, when Red Bull Racing's Seb Vettel won the Championship by 155 points.
• This weekend is the 200th GP of the turbo hybrid era. F1 first adopted the energy efficient power unit rules at the beginning of 2014.