Verstappen hopes on few crashes: 'Helps development'

We have seen plenty of Formula 1 drivers buckle under the pressure in the past, but it has not been the case with Max Verstappen in recent years. Nor does the Red Bull Racing driver think it will happen this year while hunting for his third world championship in a row. He does not find the favourite's role tiring.

"Of course that depends on how much you are working on it, I am not working on it," Verstappen responded during a press event with the Dutch media in Bahrain which featured GPblog. "Of course I talk to the team about the things we want to do. But for the rest... Yes. Just concentrate on other things."

Few crashes are important

Last season, Verstappen was one of the drivers in Formula 1 with the least amount of damage. The 25-year-old Dutchman agrees that it does help in the further development of the car if things do not break down so often on the car. Mick Schumacher, for example, caused more than three million euros worth of damage. Because a budget cap has to be respected, there is less money left to bring updates when there are many crashes.

"It does help the team in terms of development of the car [if you don't crash much]," said Verstappen, who is not specifically instructed by Red Bull to drive carefully, because otherwise there is a greater chance of damage. "It's not that the team is saying that to me. But it is something they naturally expect. Anyway, at a top team, it is not very useful to crash very often. You know that too, of course. Especially also with that budget cap, that can really affect your car and development."