Max Verstappen ready to kick off F1 season in Melbourne despite car concerns
Max Verstappen isn’t stressing about his car’s performance as Formula 1 heads to Melbourne for the season opener next weekend. The Dutch champion knows the RB21 isn’t quite where the team wanted it to be, but he’s taking a practical approach.
“I think we all expected a little bit more from it,” he admitted.
But Verstappen is just eager to get racing and see where they really stand.
“I’m just very happy to be here because then we can finally see where we’re at,” he explained. “Otherwise you just keep on thinking about it and it makes no sense anyway.”
Melbourne’s unpredictable weather could add some excitement to the weekend. Friday and Saturday look warm and dry with some clouds, but Sunday might bring rain.
“The weather seems like it’s a bit all over the place every single day. We’re going to experience quite a bit of heat and then a bit of rain, probably,” Verstappen said.
He’s thrilled that Australia has reclaimed its traditional spot as the season opener.
“I prefer arriving here and just having the first race. It’s also how I started in Formula 1,” he noted.
The Australian Grand Prix opened the F1 season regularly from 1996 to 2019, with just two exceptions. After COVID forced its cancellation in 2020, Bahrain took over as the first race on the calendar.
Verstappen particularly enjoys the Melbourne track itself.
“The track is very fast,” he said. “Of course a few years ago they changed the layout and I think that makes it a bit more exciting also to race on.”
Despite his concerns about the RB21, Verstappen remains optimistic heading into the weekend.
“You have to start at some point and hopefully it’s not too bad,” he said.
