Verstappen on Ricciardo: 'Hope he stays in F1'

Max Verstappen is back in the country where he was born. Last season he won the Grand Prix, although it lasted only two laps. This year, in front of a sold-out crowd of tens of thousands of Dutch people, he would like to win again.

During the press conference before the race at Spa, Verstappen was asked how he looks back on the first part of the season. The reigning champion indicated he was generally happy. "But I will never be perfectly happy. We're not robots, we all make mistakes. We can always do better, myself the team. That's what we try to look at."

Taking a break

After the summer break, a gruelling part of the season awaits. "Of course, we had a little break, which is nice with the upcoming triple header and we're then flying away a lot. it's important to rest and spend time with family and close ones. To get ready and gear up. I didn't expect 80 point lead, I've been helped a little bit with misfortune of others. When we look at ourselves, most races we maximise a lot. But again, we've had two retirements, debris stuck in the floor at Silverstone. So it could've looked a bit better, but then again we got a bit lucky at other races."

Mercedes may form a challenger in the coming races. "Overtime, the field will come closer when everyone understands cars. The new directive wasn't entirely necessary. I think a lot of people understood their porpoising issues, but I don't think it will affect us a lot."

Better to go

Verstappen also addressed the departure of former teammate Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren: "Sometimes the car doesn't suit your driving style. And then it's tough place to be. you have a contract, you try to turn it around. Sometimes it's better to pursuit a different direction. He's a great guy, he's an amazing driver. I hope he stays in Formula 1 but we have to wait and see where that will be."