Verstappen: "You get more relaxed when you're at a top team with a good contract"

When speaking about his three-and-a-half seasons in the Formula One, Max Verstappen revealed that him being at a top team with a good contract has made him more relaxed in the whole F1 circus.

Verstappen made his debut in F1 in 2015 at only 17 years old, but he had already done tests in an F1 car in 2014. Even though he's still only 20 years old now, the Dutchman has over three seasons of F1 experience already, and he thinks that this is the main difference between him now and as a 17-year-old.

"I simply have more experience now than I did a few years ago," Verstappen explained in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.

"With driving an F1-car, as well as the whole world around it - that's the biggest difference.

"When you're not at a top team either, there is always that pressure to perform.

"I think that once you're at a top team and you have a good contract, you become more relaxed as a person in the way you move around on a race weekend, even though you're still really motivated to get everything out of your car."

With Verstappen teaming up with Pierre Gasly next season, the Dutchman will likely be top dog at the team, at least for the first few months as Gasly still gets used to it all. Although it didn't take Verstappen very long to get used to Red Bull, as he won his debut race for the team in Spain 2016.

It's weird to say Verstappen has experience already as he's still one of the youngest drivers on the grid, but it's true. Having had the three turbulent seasons he's had, you learn a lot. For example, his crash in FP3 in Monaco was an absolute low point for him, as he knew it was a golden chance to grab pole and win the race. The way he bounced back from that, though, was incredible, winning in Austria and getting on the podium time after time, showing great consistency. 

Experience is key.