Max Verstappen speaks on development as a F1 driver over the years as Alexander Albon adds on learning from him and doing his own.
Even though he is in his early 20s, Verstappen has gathered enough experience in F1 from his time at Toro Rosso and Red Bull. He is now in a space where he has results behind him, where he is easily in the list of top-end drivers currently racing in the sport.
The one experience he lacks as of now is to be in a season-long F1 title fight, which he and Red Bull hopes to be the case in 2021 and or with the regulation changes in 2022. Despite being in a good space, the learnings and developments continues.
Taking a leaf out of Kimi Raikkonen’s book, Verstappen talks about his own development over the years and how he sees it. “Honestly, I think it just comes natural,” he said to media including F1, Motorsport Network, Racefans.net, BBC, AMuS and more. “It’s not like I have a notebook or something and then when I come home I’m like, how do I need to go faster, and I go through a notebook? But for me, you’re racing.
“I like it, it’s kind of a hobby if you quote, Kimi, but it is. It’s just really nice that because you go to Formula One and then when I go home I also like to have fun with family and friends and you know when you have to be super serious and honoured again.
“And for me, finding that balance at the end of the day, I think, being happy in life it makes you a better driver and you just take on the experiences you had from the year before and the good and the bad things you know where you made mistakes or not, or you had a good race, and then you try to do better the year after and that’s how I just go on every year,” summed up Verstappen.
His now former teammate, Albon, has similar thinking as he adds on learning from the experienced pro Verstappen and what could be the difference between the two. “It’s not one thing,” he said. “It’s more, you know, focusing on what you see as weaknesses, where you can improve. And that’s it, really.
“And that won’t ever change, so you could be 60 years old racing and you’d still look for improvements. It’s not one thing and driving doesn’t extend to just the pure turning a wheel, let’s say – it everything it’s being complete with as Max said experience, lap ones or whatever it is so, so many areas you can improve.
“Obviously, Verstappen is very quick. He knows where the lap time is. He’s super talented. And I look through the data, look through everything to see where he gets laptime from. Off track we do our own things. As for our difference, it’s not one thing, it’s not one thing. I mean, I’ve been asked that a few times but it’s more just, you know, getting the confidence and being able to throw it around a bit more. That’s really it,” added Albon.
Ever since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo, from whom Verstappen was learning himself, the Dutchman has had Pierre Gasly and Albon, who are learning from him. In 2021, though, he will get to pick things from Sergio Perez, especially his tyre management skills, which will be handy for the future, when in a close title fight.
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