Verstappen still hopeful of a good finish in 2024
- Cas van de Kleut
Max Verstappen has had a tougher time in recent race weekends than in the year and a half before. Suddenly, McLaren and Ferrari have a realistic chance of winning multiple races on pure pace. Despite the results of the last few races, the Dutchman is still hopeful of a good end to the season.
In Miami, we saw the first glimpse of trouble with Verstappen. Lando Norris had not qualified well, but during the race he was the fastest man on the track. Due to a lucky safety car for the Briton, he suddenly found himself leading the Grand Prix. After the safety car went in, he opened up a gap to the three-time world champion, allowing the McLaren driver to win his first race.
But it did not stop there. In Imola, Verstappen did win, but Norris was close to having two wins in a row. The low point for the Dutchman, however, came in Monaco. Things were already looking difficult in free practice, but after a mistake in qualifying, his chances of winning were gone for good. Verstappen qualified sixth. This was also his final position in the race.
Verstappen still has hope
Still, Verstappen has hope after the difficult weeks: "I still think that we can do a good job this year, if everything works out. But at the moment we have to try a few things, see what works best and then I think maybe some things will be different next year that maybe are a bit more difficult to redesign this year. But I'm still hopeful and confident that we can do a better job already this year."