F1 News
Verstappen after tyre issues in Qatar: 'This looked weird'
Formula 1 would not be Formula 1 if strange things did not sometimes occur. The problems with rapidly tearing tyres in Qatar was a striking example of what strange and unpredictable things can happen in this sport. It was not until the day of the Grand Prix that teams were instructed to make a minimum of three stops.
Max Verstappen had not been happy with the mandatory stops, he told the media afterwards, including GPblog. "With the tyres, you could push a bit more because you use them for less time. But of course, it's unfortunate that we had to do it this way. Fortunately, nothing happened. That's the most important thing," the Qatar race winner said.
Verstappen has message for F1
Another problem throughout the weekend was the new asphalt at the Losail International Circuit. To say the least, it was quite slippery. " It did get a bit better," Verstappen told us. "When we come back next year, it will probably be slightly better again. But it depends on how much will be driven on it. I think it's important for other categories to race here, so there will be a bit more grip on the asphalt."
The Dutchman has some sage advice for the organisers of the pinnacle of motorsport: "If we have a similar situation next time, F1 should not be the first to race. That looks weird, like in FP1 when everyone slid around with no grip. On a new track, it has to be a bit run-in. That helps a lot, especially if you want to understand the tyres. There are some things in this weekend that we can learn from."
What Verstappen certainly learned is how more and more closer McLaren is getting. The team was actually the only one posing a relative danger to Red Bull. That was not for the first time this season. "Through the year, McLaren is definitely making great strides. From our side, we will try to improve maybe a little bit this year, but of course, mainly, we are looking at next year."