Verstappen: "The mechanics must be confident that I will stop at the right time"

Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon of Red Bull Racing believe that the team is more important than the individual driving the car. According to them, the performance comes from a combination of both.

In a video on YouTube from Mobil 1, Verstappen and Albon are asked what they think is more important: the driver or the team? The 22-year-old Dutchman thinks both are very important. "Of course I'm the one who's in the car. In the car I have to do everything myself. But of course the team is behind you during pit stops, strategies and adjusting the engine. It's a team sport, with a bit of influence from the individual. That makes it different from other sports."

His teammate Alexander Albon does not entirely agree with him. "Formula 1 is known as a team sport and I think it certainly is. I don't even know how many people work at Red Bull, it runs in the hundreds. But on the other hand, the sport is also seen as selfish. You sit there for yourself, you ride against your teammate and against the rest of the grid".

The pit stops are something Red Bull's team excels at this year. Several times they've had the fastest pit stop in a race this year. Verstapppen: "It's a real team effort, because of course I want the tyres changed as soon as possible and then I'm off again. Only after the race did you hear that the pit stop only lasted 1.82 seconds. It's all about whether I stop at exactly the right spot. Then the mechanics know exactly when to put the 'wheelgun' on the wheel. They have to be able to trust me to stop at the right moment."