Max Verstappen is eager to get into his Red Bull car for the second half of the season. ,,I have the jitters, I want to go back to it”, says the reigning world champion in the run-up to the Grand Prix of Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps.
,,It’s my favorite track, so I’m really looking forward to it. I am well rested in the summer break and I feel completely ready to race again.”
Verstappen can look back on a successful first part. He has won eight of the thirteen grands prix and leads the standings with a big lead over his competitors. Ferrari’s Monegask Charles Leclerc is second in the World Cup standings, but he is already 80 points behind.
After the Hungarian Grand Prix, in which Verstappen drove from tenth starting position to victory, the drivers were given a month to recover from the hectic first period. Spa-Francorchamps is the first stop after the summer break, next week Formula 1 will come to Zandvoort and the following week the drivers will drive at Monza in Italy. “It will immediately be a busy period with three races in a row, but everyone has been able to rest well, so we can handle that,” said Verstappen.
The race in Belgium is one of the classics in Formula 1. Ever since Verstappen has been causing a furore in the premier class, tens of thousands of fans have traveled to the Ardennes every year to see their idol in real life. Last year the fans were disappointed, because there was no racing due to the persistent rain. After a few laps behind the safety car, Verstappen was declared the winner.
This year, 80 million euros have been invested in the 7-kilometer-long sloping race track. Verstappen is pleased with the innovations. “The track is even more ‘old school’ and I like that. It looks like it’s going to rain and that makes it a bit more difficult, but luckily we like a challenge as a team.”
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