Max Verstappen had it on Saturday after qualifying in Canada with the questions about his exciting situation with penalty points. The Dutchman, who starts second, quickly cut off the topic at the press conference afterwards.
Verstappen was once again asked whether he would approach the race differently on Sunday, knowing that he faces a race suspension. The Limburg driver has been on eleven penalty points since his collision with George Russell two weeks ago. A twelfth would be a hit.
“I already had all these questions on Thursday,” Verstappen grumbled. “It’s a waste of time. It’s also childish, very annoying. But that’s the world we live in.”
Verstappen was already terse in earlier questions about the progress of his qualification. “That’s also why I don’t want to say too much.”
Satisfaction with car
Yet Verstappen did say something about the progress of his weekend in Montreal. The Red Bull has been at the front since the first free practice. “The team immediately got the settings right here. They did a good job.”
Anyway, he is not dissatisfied with the car. “Overall I’m quite happy. It was often a bit of a hit or miss, that we didn’t really get the balance of the car right. But we finished second in qualifying here, that feels good.”
Verstappen is awaiting a race that will mainly revolve around tire management at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “Our race simulations felt okay. But we did suffer from graining,” he pointed to the problem that pieces of rubber tear off the tire and stick back to the tire. “We are going to try to keep that under control, especially when it gets warmer.”
Two thumbs up
Russell beat Verstappen at the last minute in the battle for pole position. Eyes will be on their duel towards the first corner in Montreal on Sunday. The two have already had a few clashes, although the mutual mood seemed normal on Saturday.
Yet Verstappen was asked once again whether he would feel different during the start, with a penalty looming. In response, the Limburg driver only gave two thumbs up.