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Verstappen: Overtaking was 'a lot more fun in 2016'

Verstappen: Overtaking was 'a lot more fun in 2016'

24-04-2018 08:18

Sam Bytheway

Red Bull's Max Verstappen debut season with the team was an exciting one, winning his first Grand Prix in his first race for the Milton Keynes based team.

When Verstappen won in Spain, he became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race. The Dutchman, while at Toro Rosso in 2015 and at the start of 2016 also broke the record for being the youngest driver to ever compete in F1 at just 17 years and 166 days old.

Verstappen, reminisced on that season, and the ease of overtaking then, saying:

“It was a lot more fun in 2016. You could follow each other better and, in some way, it was more gratifying,

"Since 2017 it's a lot harder and less fun to really race each other.

"The braking distance is shorter and it's just very hard to follow each other, the car can also make unexpected movements and suddenly break out."

Verstappen has had a mixed start to the season, finding himself 8th in the drivers championship, after failing to finish above 5th yet, as well as retiring from the race in Bahrain. But the Red Bull youngster, who is still the 3rd youngest driver on the grid, is optimistic about his chances in Baku.

"The car is okay. We are still a bit short in qualifying, but in the races, it's looking good,” he said.

"So far, due to various reasons, we haven't achieved the results we wanted, but now I'm looking forward to Baku. I think we can have a good race there, and there are still eighteen races to come, so hopefully we will do well."