Verstappen realistic: 'It gives a bit of a distorted picture'

Max Verstappen hopes to win his first world title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, this is not entirely in his own hands, as the Dutchman is largely dependent on his car. He realises that all too well.

The Red Bull Racing driver was well ahead of his rival after the Mexico GP, but Lewis Hamilton has levelled the score in the last three races. It means everything comes down to the final race in Abu Dhabi, with the Mercedes and Red Bull cars looking to balance each other out.

Verstappen is realistic about the weekend

Verstappen has a lot of confidence in his team, he told Ziggo Sport. During the first free practice he still had problems with his steering wheel. "It was pretty crooked indeed", he responds. "You drive it of course and the wheel was to one side, like on an oval".

"I think in the short runs they were already running on a bit more power. It gives a bit of a distorted picture and my lap was not good either. The last corner gave a lot of understeer on braking, so I missed it completely. From our side there is still some improvement to be made, but I think they were already driving on more power," said Verstappen, who is not afraid of missing out on the world title. "I'm only 24, so I'm not worried about collapsing next year. It will all work out."