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“A challenged Max Verstappen is an even better Max” – Jos Verstappen thinks his son must improve in one crucial area to win championship

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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"A challenged Max Verstappen is an even better Max" - Jos Verstappen thinks his son must improve in one crucial area to win championship

Max Verstappen is showing consistent performance as he continues to win the races but there is one area he must improve.

While Max Verstappen is continuously winning the races, he is still failing to perform well during the qualifying. His father Jos Verstappen thinks that this is one area his son needs to improve.

Verstappen’s rival Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has qualified on pole in almost every Grand Prix of the 2022 season. He has gained himself the reputation of a driver that needs to be feared during qualifying.

However, despite qualifying on pole on several occasions, Leclerc gets beaten by the reigning world champion when it comes to claiming the victory on race days.

But Jos says that his son’s inability to deliver a perfect qualifying lap is the only crease he has.

“The only thing that’s still lacking is qualifying,” said Jos. “On Saturday (in Baku) you could see the frustration during the post-session interview because it’s not yet going as he wants it to.

“If they can sort out the qualifying, things will be easier for him. On street circuits, this is even more evident. There is less rubber and he has more difficulty rotating the car quickly.”

The Dutchman has never taken pole at a street circuit. It remains to be seen if he can secure his first one at the upcoming race in Canada.

Also Read: Max Verstappen attacks Mercedes after FIA directive change to solve porpoising issues

Max Verstappen is motivated by how it went down in Monaco

Verstappen took the lead in the drivers’ standings despite qualifying on pole only once and facing two retirements so far.

However, Jos explains that the weekends that do not offer the reigning champion satisfaction act as an inspiration for him.

“The good news is that during a race, the Red Bull goes like a rocket,” Jos continued. “The balance of the car is good. During the long run, the tyres behave differently and the car becomes quicker with turning. Max can deal with that very well.

“Max is great in driving consistent lap times. He can drive every lap 100% accurate: boom, boom, same time. You could see Max was very motivated. That had of course to do with the previous race in Monaco, but he doesn’t really let it get to him.

“I think that’s very beautiful, it only makes him better. A challenged Max is an even better Max.”

Also Read: F1 Twitter reacts as FIA’s technical directive is poised to make things worse for Mercedes

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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