Despite his dominance in the 2023 season so far, Max Verstappen went through a nervy moment during the British GP qualifying session on Saturday. The 25-year-old ended up colliding with the wall in the pit lane which cost Red Bull a whopping $219,000 to change his car’s front wing. Since his mistake was so surprising, a reporter asked Verstappen if this incident put a dent in his confidence ahead of the race.
In reply, Verstappen jokingly stated that he’s now “scared to drive” outside his pit box. Soon after he made this comment, Verstappen admitted that he is thankful for not causing any further damage to the car.
Since Verstappen is known to be a naturally aggressive driver, people do expect occasional shunts here and there. However, it is this same aggression that also brings the best out of him.
During his press conference, he also recalled the infamous crash he had with Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 season. This crash not only resulted in him colliding with the barriers and ending his race but also hospitalized him. Hence, Verstappen is well aware of even how hurtful a small mistake from his end can be during a race.
Max Verstappen explains his “inchident” in the pits
As seen in the video shared by Formula 1, Max Verstappen seemed to be making a rookie error while he was exiting the pits. Speaking of his “inchident,” the Dutchman stated that he had a “bit of understeer‘ that resulted in his mistake.
Nothing… just an inchident 😅#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/wjfEPFxr88
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
When asked if this moment would be shaking his confidence, Verstappen replied with a laugh, “I am scared to drive outside my box now” before adding, “No, it has nothing to do with confidence“. He then ended his remarks by stating that these things can happen to anyone and that it is part of the sport.
Does it shake your confidence? (hitting the wall in the pitlane)
Max: “To hit the wall in the pitlane? I’m scared to drive out of my box now😅”
“No, it has nothing to do with confidence. Last time I hit a wall, proper, was here. These things happen.”pic.twitter.com/fVytClL62q
— verstappen news (@verstappenews) July 8, 2023
Despite his nervy incident, Verstappen couldn’t be stopped from taking his fifth consecutive pole position. He snatched P1 from Lando Norris on his final flying lap after the McLaren driver momentarily grabbed provisional pole.
Verstappen claims he can fight for the Constructors’ Championship alone
Max Verstappen has a huge lead in the world championships standings. In fact, he believes that he doesn’t need his teammate. He said this in reference to Red Bull’s battle against their rivals in the constructors” championship. As things stand, he has scored 229 points and is 81 points clear of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
When it comes to the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes, which is the second best team, has just scored 178 points. As a result, Verstappen said (as quoted by MARCA), “We are also fighting for the team championship. At the moment, I think I can do it alone“.
Crazy qualifying 🤯 Very happy to be on pole! A great day for us @redbullracing, looking forward to being back for more tomorrow 💪
Congratulations @McLarenF1, great to see you guys up there 👊#BritishGP pic.twitter.com/0hCODZmP4n
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) July 8, 2023
This comment from Verstappen seems like a massive dig at Perez, who has been struggling massively. The Mexican has now failed to make it to Q3 in five consecutive races. In Silverstone he just managed to qualify P16 for the British GP. If the gap between Verstappen and Perez continues to increase, the 33-year-old could be at high risk of losing his seat.
