HEART BRAKING TO WATCH
M
ax Verstappen did not attend the
mandatory press interviews in the
media ring after his retirement
from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his
frustration after a fourth DNF due to
engine issues is clearly aggravating the
teenager’s tolerance level and the fact that
his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo
won the race simply added insult to injury.
In an interview on his website he was
asked how he felt watching the Australian
celebrate, Verstappen was brutally honest,
“It was heartbreaking to watch, looking at
the position he came from, you can figure
what could have been.”
Verstappen explained why he skipped
the mandatory media debrief, “I just didn’t
feel like to at that moment. I stayed for
another half an hour at the circuit and
discussed with my engineers what I
thought of the race regarding the car and
the balance. After that I left.”
As for the cause of the yet another
engine failure, he said, “They are still
looking into that. In any case, a new
engine needs to be installed, because I
think this one has been written off.”
Up to the point in the race where his
engine failed, Verstappen was in a fierce
battle with Sergio Perez for third place,
“During the race I hadn’t actually thought
about it, until you suddenly run into a
problem again.”
“It is extremely disappointing, all the
more when you’re in such a good position
and you drop out again. Even more so
when you look back at all that happened.”