Verstappen can also withstand everything that comes his way in Miami NOW+ Formula 1

Verstappen moet even nadenken op de vraag of hij het naar zijn zin heeft in Miami. “Ehhh… Het is altijd lekker als je vooraan staat. Je hebt je natuurlijk je favoriete weekenden en sommige zijn wat minder. Dat heeft verder niet echt invloed op hoe ik mijn ding doe tijdens het weekend.”

De race in Florida draait vooral om glitter en glamour. Dat zijn al niet de favoriete ingrediënten voor Verstappen, die ook niet van stratencircuits en sprintraces houdt. Vrijdag veranderde een internationaal mediamoment met Verstappen bovendien in een soort rugbyscrum, omdat de Limburger schematisch de eerste van Red Bull was die op het circuit op het vertrek van Newey ging reageren. Dat wilde de volledige aanwezige media horen.

Vakkundig beantwoorde Verstappen alle vragen, die grotendeels hetzelfde waren. “Ik wist natuurlijk dat dat zou komen en zie er dan ook niet tegenop. Ik weet wat ik wil zeggen, mag zeggen en kan zeggen”, blikte hij zaterdag terug.

It has been the new reality for Verstappen since the start of the season. While in previous years he mainly received questions about the competition, now it is mainly about the unrest within Red Bull.

Saturday afternoon after the sprint race it happened again, a question from the American channel NBC whether it affects the World Cup leader personally. “I’ve been answering these questions since the end of February. I don’t know what to say anymore. We focus on the performance of the car, and so far it has had no influence on that. I’m happy about that. “

Later that day, Verstappen returned to that moment again. “That was also to indicate that one can ask the same questions over and over again, but then you always get the same answer.”

Verstappen was therefore happy that Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff also made himself heard. He said in a rare interview with Bild am Sontag “not to worry that the Dutchman is considering leaving.” Mintzlaff wants things to calm down. “That is what Max wants and that is what we want,” said the German, who also said he was fed up with Toto Wolff’s attempts to seduce Verstappen. “That also has to do with respect. We don’t always talk about personnel from other teams.”

It was nice for Verstappen that someone so high up in the tree at Red Bull made a statement. “Oliver is of course not always there, he is also busy with other things. When he walks around here he also has to answer questions about it. Ultimately that is also his role, right?”, said the Limburger.

The three-time world champion understands that people like Zak Brown of McLaren seize their opportunity to stir up unrest at Red Bull. “I understand that from his side, of course, but we can’t do anything with it. I see a news headline like that, but I don’t even click on it.”

Red Bull itself wanted to radiate the desired tranquility throughout the weekend. A clear answer line was available for all questions about Newey; that the role of the top engineer had already become smaller in the past year and that his departure, as Verstappen stated on Thursday, may not be as dramatic as it may seem. A further exodus is not imminent, Verstappen said. No falling dominoes, as Brown claimed.

“Certain people also have reasonable long-term contracts. And in life you can never guarantee everything. I can’t wake up tomorrow either,” Verstappen laughed. “That can happen, right? You can never be sure about everything. Many agreements have been made. Ultimately, it is about everyone being happy with their work and feeling appreciated. There are many human aspects involved.”

Verstappen mainly wants it to be about the racing and tries, as far as that goes, to stay out of the fuss surrounding his team. Or, as he himself said: “I’m not very concerned anyway.”

Looking at the performance, there is no reason for this. Despite a weekend full of dissatisfaction with setup choices, struggles with the tires and driving on a circuit that is not one of his favorites anyway, everything is running smoothly again for the reigning champion. Even a disappointing sprint qualification resulted in pole position, even a struggle with balance did not prevent a sprint victory and even unpredictable tire behavior brought him the seventh pole in a row.

The strong Ferrari has no illusions about its chances of victory. Verstappen does not expect to be bothered by the partly blue cars for the occasion.

“I hope not. If we have a little better balance than today, we should be in a good place.”