F1 News
Verstappen on overtaking rules: 'I think everyone agrees'
- Savannah Lenz
Max Verstappen has driven very hard to earn his fourth championship. This season elevates Verstappen to a new level as he joins an exclusive circle of historical drivers. But this season was not without controversy, especially regarding overtaking.
Overtaking is a vital part of driving, and Max Verstappen has almost mastered it completely. He is fearless and dedicated when he moves to overtake, and even when it's risky, he is still going for the gold.
Verstappen explains his overtaking strategy
Yesterday, the media questioned Verstappen about his overtaking opinions. He told them, including GPBlog, that "It depends on the track, the shape of the corner. I think overtaking in a low-speed corner on the outside is way more complicated than a medium-speed or a high-speed corner because that's where most of the time you carry momentum, and then it's a bit different."
Verstappen noted that some tracks are different because of the gravel traps. "Plus, when there is no gravel, you can just drive off the track without any consequences, normally. But in some tracks that we go to, you see either a clear overtake around the outside or people backing out of it, because you're afraid to go into the gravel from the car on the inside or the outside, and that already, I think, cancels out 90% of our issues that we have nowadays".
Verstappen also weighed in on if he agreed with all of the rules surrounding overtaking. "I think everyone agrees with that, but sometimes it's not that easy to just throw all the rules overboard. Like I said, I think the biggest issue that we have is just in some places the tracks, that have way too much runoff". Continuing, he said, "But if you want less problems, you have to [do it]. But of course, some tracks are a bit more difficult than others, but how much do you want the fun to drive in your track then? It's as simple as that".
As for Qatar, he thinks the work that has previously been done "will help already. Around here, there are a lot of high-speed corners anyway, so there are fewer, I think, problems with the kind of racing that we have had in some places. But I think normally gravel, of course, as soon as you go, you touch it, you lose a lot of lap time, so you don't want to touch it".