Max Verstappen was not disheartened after his retirement in Austria on Sunday. The Dutchman retired after being hit in Turn 3 of the opening lap by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen did not blame Antonelli.
“We had a good start, which was already an improvement compared to the last two races,” Verstappen began his analysis of the race positively. “But in Turn 3, it was over. I didn’t know exactly what had happened at first. We had considerable damage, and the car stopped.”
Verstappen, who made a calm impression in the mixed zone of the Red Bull Ring, knew what had happened when he saw Antonelli with broken suspension. “These kinds of things happen,” Verstappen continued. “Every driver makes such a mistake at some point in their career. Kimi is a great talent, so he will learn from this.”
Antonelli immediately apologized to Verstappen after the incident. “But before he came to me, the matter was already settled for me. Nobody does this on purpose. It’s not what you want, of course, and I’m disappointed, but it’s part of racing.”
The FIA also designated Antonelli as responsible for the crash. The eighteen-year-old Italian received a three-place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix, next week in Silverstone.
‘Never thought about the title’
Verstappen had a disastrous weekend at the Red Bull Ring this year. On Saturday, he did not get beyond seventh place in qualifying, nine-tenths behind polesitter and later Grand Prix winner Lando Norris.
“Today we were unlucky, and yesterday we were unlucky, but the whole weekend we were not where we wanted to be in terms of speed. We have to analyze that. Hopefully, we will have a better weekend in Silverstone.”
A fifth consecutive world title seems out of reach for Verstappen with a 61-point deficit. “But I’ve never really thought about that this year. I take it race by race, and I will continue to do so.”
Verstappen sympathized with the tens of thousands of Dutch fans who were in the stands this weekend. “This is painful for them, I understand that. But I try not to look at it that way. We have also had many beautiful moments here.”
“Every year is different: cars change, tires change. You can’t expect us to always be good here based on the past. So many factors play a role.”
Red Bull will come with updates again in Silverstone
For Verstappen, it was his first retirement since the Australian Grand Prix early last year. The last time he retired due to a crash was even at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021.
Next week, Red Bull will bring a number of new parts to Silverstone, just like they did this weekend in Austria. “But is that enough to attack McLaren?” Verstappen wonders aloud.
“Probably not. But I don’t want to sound depressed either. Everyone on the team gives 100 percent and tries to make the car better.”
The Formula 1 season will be continued next week with the British Grand Prix. After that, the races in Belgium (July 27) and Hungary (August 3) are on the program before the summer break.