Verstappen explains how he got so good at defending and attacking
Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
Speaking to M4sport, Max Verstappen explained where his racecraft comes from. According to the Dutchman, karting sessions with friends during holidays have largely contributed to this.
Verstappen is best known for his racecraft. The Dutchman can attack and defend like no other. Put Verstappen at the front of the grid, and no one will get past him. Verstappen is also capable of working his way through the field. According to the triple world champion, this is mainly due to his youth.
How Verstappen learned to defend and attack
"If my friends and I organised a mini-tournament during the holidays, I could practise that. We always started from different places. First, second, third, last, all to practise overtaking. You try to surprise the others. I learned a lot from that," Verstappen said to the Hungarian medium.
"A lot of what we do is on instinct, but there are things you can learn. For example, finding the overtaking point, finding out what someone's weak spot is. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses." According to Verstappen, this also works in Formula 1. "Of course there are a lot more things you have to think about like loss of downforce, overheating and using your battery. F1 is more advanced in that respect, but the basics are the same."