Verstappen ‘provoked’ and ready to strike in Austria

After a week's rest, the Formula 1 circus heads to Spielberg this week for the Austrian Grand Prix. And it promises to be an exciting weekend at the Red Bull Ring, the home of Red Bull Racing. Jack Plooij, a pit lane reporter and interviewer in the Netherlands, previewed the race next weekend during the Dutch premiere of F1 The Movie with GPblog.

"Very exciting, as it has been all year," he said. "I think the McLarens still have an edge. But it could turn out to be very exciting." Verstappen has been a hot topic in recent weeks, and not everything said about him was positive. For example, the Dutchman received a lot of criticism for causing the crash with George Russell in Spain.

"Max is provoked," acknowledged Plooij. "And you shouldn't do that with Verstappen. Provoking him... only makes him better. So, I think Max just might pull it off again, because he always gets the most out of the car. Always, wherever, whichever circuit or race. And on Sunday, he's there again.

Plooij emphasised that Verstappen needs to peak in Austria on Saturday to put himself in the best possible position for Sunday's race. "If you want to strike, you need to be close. So Saturday is important again, the qualification."

Verstappen cannot afford any new penalty points in Austria, as it might lead to a race ban. However, Plooij claimed that this will not be a problem for the four-time world champion. “No, I don't believe that. You saw in the last qualification that everyone was within a second or so; it doesn't make that much difference in qualification. But you do need to be at the front there, and in that race, it always turns out fine."

"I have full confidence in Max, and especially with everyone hyping up about him making mistakes, scoring points, and losing his license, it's not going to happen," stated the dentist.

Plooij concluded with a somewhat controversial prediction: "I think Max can win it. That's what I believe. And then Lando [Norris] is back, because Lando also has something to make up for, and then a little Ferrari. Who? Perhaps Lewis. Yes, back on the podium. That would be nice."