Max Verstappen has revealed that he was “relieved” after the victory in Austria in 2019. The win was Red Bull’s first win with Honda and, according to Verstappen, showed that they could “achieve anything”.
At Red Bull’s post-season celebrations, Max Verstappen paid tribute to Honda and its F1 managing director Masashi Yamamoto:
“First win (with Honda) I think that was very emotional, it gives me goose bumps even today when I talk about it because it was also a kind of relief and it showed that you know that anything is possible here in the world. ““ One thing I’ll miss is that Yamamoto-san comes every single weekend before the race with all the signatures (autographs) I need to get hold of. I don’t know how many family members you have, but it’s crazy. I think that’s a very big problem. “
In 2019, Red Bull switched to Honda engines to become a true “works team” after the partnership with Renault stalled after disappointing results.
Red Bull and Renault enjoyed joint success in the first half of the decade. In the turbo-hybrid era, however, Red Bull was frustrated with the unreliability and lack of performance in Renault engines.
Their relationship deteriorated further when Renault joined its own team in 2016. This made Red Bull a “customer team” that had to accommodate an engine that was mainly designed for a different chassis. In retaliation, Red Bull removed the Renault brand from their cars and renamed the engines TAG Heuer.
In 2019, neither Red Bull nor Honda were confident that their partnership would bring the success they had hoped for. That should stay at the Red Bull Ring until Max Verstappen triumphed.
With his win in Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen delivered Honda’s first F1 World Championship in almost thirty years. Honda last had a championship win in 1991 with the great Ayrton Senna, who drove for McLaren.
The Japanese engine manufacturer decided to withdraw from the sport in 1992, returned in 2000 and continued with its entire team of the same name until 2008. It returned with McLaren in 2015 and now, just seven years after entering F1, Honda is leaving the sport at the end of the season to focus on carbon neutrality.
Gerhard Berger expects Max Verstappen to win further titles
Gerhard Berger, former Formula 1 driver and current chairman of the German Touring Car Masters (DTM), expects Max Verstappen to win more Formula 1 titles in the future.
In an interview with the Austrian broadcaster ServusTV, the former Ferrari F1 driver said:
“He will be world champion many more times. He’s an exceptional racing driver. ”“ You saw that in Formula 3. I’ve already seen him go karting. The guy has it and he’ll be even bigger than he already is. “
Max Verstappen only raced one season in 2014 – despite participating in more than one series – before advancing to F1 the following year. During this time he was famous for his racing skills, especially in adverse weather conditions, and his ability to feel his way through the field.
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After Max Verstappen was promoted to F1 at the age of 17, he was often labeled as “aggressive” and “dangerous” by other drivers and experts. However, over the years he has demonstrated tremendous skill and the ability to stay calm under pressure. In 2016 he won his first race after being promoted to the Red Bull senior team. Later that year, his driving skills were in full view in wet weather when he climbed back to the podium from P15 in Brazil.
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