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Max Verstappen dismissed Toto Wolff’s comments about the Red Bull cars being designed to suit him specifically and being the reason behind him being far ahead of his teammates.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the Italian GP in Monza, the Dutchman explained that its his ability to adapt to different cars that made him optimise their fullest potential.
After the qualifying session in Zandvoort, Wolff was baffled by the gap between the two Red Bull drivers. Speaking to the German publication AMuS in Zandvoort, the Austrian suggested the possibility of Red Bull cars being built to suit the Dutch champion.
The 25-year-old likes the car to have a tight front end and it has been the speciality of the Red Bull design, something that has not suited his teammate.
Asked by Sportskeeda to comment on the possibility of the car being more to his liking, Max Verstappen said:
“Bullsh*t comments. It’s not like that. I mean, I just drive the car I get the fastest way possible. I'm not there to tell the guys to give me more front end, because that’s how I like it. I just say design me the fastest car and I’ll drive around that.
"Because every single year, its just, you know, different. Every car drives a bit different. Like people say, what is your driving style? My driving style is not something particular. I adapt to what I need for the car to go quick.”
Asked if adaptability was an area where some drivers tend to lack, particularly in outdriving the limitations of a car, the Dutchman responded:
“Can be a lot of things. But for me, what is very important is that you’re able to adapt your driving style to what the car needs.”
The gap between Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen in qualifying was almost 1.3 seconds. Whereas in the race, the former finished fourth as the latter claimed a dominant victory.
The Dutchman clinched the pole position whereas the Mexican secured the seventh spot on the grid. After the qualifying, Wolff was asked to explain the gap between the two drivers in the same car.
He felt that it was odd as Perez was a multiple Grand Prix winner and a solid driver since his Force India or Racing Point days.
Max Verstappen asserts he is not in Formula 1 to prove any point
Fernando Alonso had suggested that the achievements of Max Verstappen in F1 are being underestimated. Commenting on the Dutchman’s win in Zandvoort after the race, the former double champion felt that to carry 100 percent commitment into every race weekend was not every driver’s cup of tea.
Responding to the comments, the reigning champion conceded that maybe people are not able to anticipate the team effort and work that goes into maximising the abilities of a good car. But the Red Bull champion was quick to assert that he had no point to prove to anyone.
Responding to Alonso’s comments, Max Verstappen said:
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not out there to try and prove anything, really. I’m there to do the best I can with the material I have. Probably also, you know, people don’t know what’s going on within the team and how difficult it is even when you have a very good car.
"It's difficult to deliver what we are doing to win every race so far. You know some people also, they can’t appreciate somebody is constantly doing a good job. And I’m not talking about myself, just the whole team operation. But I’m there just to do my job. I’m not there to be recognised with people for what I'm doing.”
On course to Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins, Max Verstappen is set to dominate again in Monza and claim a 10th consecutive win.
The German’s record itself was a difficult one and has taken 10 years to be broken, and is a feat achieved by only two drivers in the sport. A record of 10 consecutive wins could be even harder to break by other drivers or even the Dutchman himself.
This is because not every season can be as dominant as the one in 2023. His competitors are expected to catch up at some point and make it difficult for him to maintain a consecutive streak.
