Even though Max Verstappen has never finished on the podium or won the Italian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver spoke quietly and confidently about his chances on Thursday when he arrived in Monza.
Verstappen’s chances of victory were ended by a collision with Lewis Hamilton last year, and Red Bull has never before been as quick here as Ferrari and Mercedes. But now that Verstappen has outdone himself at Spa-Francor, everyone is looking to the defending champion to deliver in Italy. Let us look at the insights into how Verstappen is hungry for his maiden win at Monza, defeating Ferrari and Tifosi.
Max Verstappen speaks about his experience at Monza.
Verstappen, who is currently leading the championship, said on Thursday that the track has never been good for his team. “I like to be on the podium all across, but this circuit has never been good for us; we just haven’t had that top speed.
Of course, on some tracks, you can make up the difference with a lower wing, but now everybody tries low-downforce, otherwise, you’re just stuck with it,” he added.
And for that reason, in my opinion, we haven’t been competitive here over the past few years. Additionally, we frequently faced engine penalties at this track, which makes it difficult to finish on the podium.
If you look at our car throughout the season, you can see that we have always been strong on straightaways, so this year we have a decent opportunity, “said Verstappen.
Verstappen is confident of winning at Monza.
If he wins in Italy, Verstappen could extend his undefeated run to five races in a row. The Red Bull driver contends that his RB18 can compete on any track, from Austin to Zandvoort.
“At the start of the year, when the car was a little overweight, I don’t think it helped the car’s balance,” he explained. However, when it comes down to it, the last couple of races, in particular, have been extremely beneficial to us.
“It appears that we now understand how to perform at each track, some a little better than others; in terms of point accumulation, it has been really good, but we know there are still many races to go where we must also score points”.
Perez’s Astonishing Win At Monza In 2012
Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez said the team is performing well with a low-slung set-up with the team and their rivals scheduled to bring sleek wings to this weekend’s race, but added that the team may not have the same edge over its competitors as they did at Spa because conditions are expected to be wet on Friday.
“I’m hoping for a pace similar to what we showed at Spa. “That would be good,” Perez said. But I think this track is a little different to Belgium, and the weather will be cooler, so it will be interesting to see how we perform. “For example, Mercedes was strong last weekend, especially with the tire grade. This Sunday will be interesting.”
Red Bull leads Ferrari by 135 points on the constructor’s leaderboard, while Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc by 109 points in the drivers’ standings. Let us see how Max will regain its championship lead in Monza.
