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Teenager Max Verstappen, who turned 17 just weeks ago, will participate Friday in the opening free practice session of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
For the second time this season, Max, son of former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen, will be behind the wheel of Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso STR9 Friday morning.
“I spent one day in the simulator for this track, and I find it very challenging. The objective tomorrow is to get more laps than I got in Suzuka, where I got just 22, and learn more about the car,” Verstappen told Auto123.com in Austin Thursday.
“I'm still not chasing lap times. It's in Melbourne next year that I'll need to be fast. My goal is to get used to a Formula 1 car, and especially the new power unit, which is very different from the previous V8 engine,” he added.
Verstappen road to F1 has been extremely impressive. Last winter, he was racing karts. He began car racing straight in Formula 3 this season and has been hired by Toro Rosso months later.
Was graduating from F3 to F1 difficult to handle?
“No, the biggest step is from karting to Formula 3, not from F3 to Formula 1. From F3 to F1, the car has more power, the car is bigger and of course is shod on different tires. But a race car is a race car,” the teenager said.
Verstappen drove his F3 car days after he piloted the Toro Rosso in Suzuka.
“I found my F3 car to be a little bit slow when I drove it at Imola, but I quickly got used to it again. It's something I have to deal with,” he told Auto123.com.
“So far in my life I've always taken big steps. Things are happening like this. At the beginning of this year, I had no idea this would happen. I think when you have the chance to do something, you have to take it. I focus on my job and you'll see that happens,” he continued.
Max Verstappen does not know who his teammate will be next year.
“For the team it would be better to have an experienced driver. For me, it would also be a good thing, because I can easily see in which areas I need to improve. An experienced driver is a good benchmark,” he said.
The young Dutch also talked about his preparation for next year.
“The work in the simulator will increase during the winter time but I also need to train more physically. So far, I did not have any issues, but a two-hour race in Singapore is a very different story,” he explained.
One last question: Are you a better driver than your father?
“Yes, of course!” Max replied.
For the second time this season, Max, son of former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen, will be behind the wheel of Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso STR9 Friday morning.
“I spent one day in the simulator for this track, and I find it very challenging. The objective tomorrow is to get more laps than I got in Suzuka, where I got just 22, and learn more about the car,” Verstappen told Auto123.com in Austin Thursday.
“I'm still not chasing lap times. It's in Melbourne next year that I'll need to be fast. My goal is to get used to a Formula 1 car, and especially the new power unit, which is very different from the previous V8 engine,” he added.
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| Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso STR9-Renault. (Photo: WRi2) |
Verstappen road to F1 has been extremely impressive. Last winter, he was racing karts. He began car racing straight in Formula 3 this season and has been hired by Toro Rosso months later.
Was graduating from F3 to F1 difficult to handle?
“No, the biggest step is from karting to Formula 3, not from F3 to Formula 1. From F3 to F1, the car has more power, the car is bigger and of course is shod on different tires. But a race car is a race car,” the teenager said.
Verstappen drove his F3 car days after he piloted the Toro Rosso in Suzuka.
“I found my F3 car to be a little bit slow when I drove it at Imola, but I quickly got used to it again. It's something I have to deal with,” he told Auto123.com.
“So far in my life I've always taken big steps. Things are happening like this. At the beginning of this year, I had no idea this would happen. I think when you have the chance to do something, you have to take it. I focus on my job and you'll see that happens,” he continued.
Max Verstappen does not know who his teammate will be next year.
“For the team it would be better to have an experienced driver. For me, it would also be a good thing, because I can easily see in which areas I need to improve. An experienced driver is a good benchmark,” he said.
The young Dutch also talked about his preparation for next year.
“The work in the simulator will increase during the winter time but I also need to train more physically. So far, I did not have any issues, but a two-hour race in Singapore is a very different story,” he explained.
One last question: Are you a better driver than your father?
“Yes, of course!” Max replied.