Max Verstappen reflects on the free practice session and shares his opinion on the track changes at Abu Dhabi GP
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Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen had a mixed feeling kind of a Friday, as he topped the FP1 charts with a stellar drive. However, he fell behind in the FP2 session, finishing only the fourth fastest on the soft compound tyres. He had set the fastest lap in FP1, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas on the medium tyres.
Despite falling back in the second practice session, Max Verstappen was positive in regards to his pace in Abu Dhabi. The Dutchman stated that they are still getting adapted to the new circuit. The 24-year-old added that Red Bull might be lacking a bit of pace, but the second practice session was more competitive.
“We’re still learning and understanding a few things,” he said after the day’s action. Clearly, the short-run didn’t go to plan, [we were] lacking a bit of pace, but I think the long runs were quite a bit more competitive, so that’s also important,” said Max Verstappen, as quoted by RacingNews365.
Max Verstappen on the newly transformed Yas Marina Circuit
Max Verstappen claimed the victory in the Abu Dhabi GP last year, after a dominating drive throughout the race. However, things are a bit different this season as several changes have been made to the track.
Max Verstappen added that the new track changes are exciting and the faster corners will make the race more challenging.
“I think it makes it a bit more fun to drive. I mean, in general, faster corners are more fun,” he commented. Especially the last sector, it was always a bit tight, off-camber. [It] is still off-camber, but the radius is a bit more round, let’s say, so I do think they are positive,” Max added.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are level-pegging in terms of points in the championship. Both rivals have 369.5 points to their name before we enter the final race of the season here in Abu Dhabi. It is only the second time in F1 history that a championship battle has gown down to the last race, with two drivers level on points.
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)