Max Verstappen goes into this weekend’s British Grand Prix in full control of the championship, after yet another victory last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman heads into the Silverstone International Circuit with a forty-six point lead over his team-mate, meaning another win this weekend would see him well out of reach. Silverstone possesses some rather unfortunate recent memories for the 2021 World Champion, after crashing extremely heavily on the opening lap last season. Verstappen collided with Lewis Hamilton with the pair battling wheel-to-wheel, it resulted in a 50G+ impact for the Dutchman who luckily walked away.
Despite this, Verstappen is looking forward to the weekend, especially with the venue being so close to the team’s factory.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Silverstone as it’s a real classic and historic race on the calendar. There are so many amazing fans there and it’s nice to know that we are just down the road from the Team at the factory in Milton Keynes.
“It’s also good to be heading back to a traditional racetrack after quite a few street circuits. The performance this weekend will depend on whether we find a good balance and we also need a decent tyre strategy as degradation will be high there. So there’s plenty of things that we need to get right this weekend, it won’t be smooth sailing.”
“This weekend is all about getting that great feeling back” – Sergio Pérez
Sergio Pérez is aiming to bounce back this weekend, after a reliability issue saw him retire early-on in Canada. The unfortunate retirement saw Pérez’ string of good results come a disappointing end, especially as his team-mate went on to win the race.
It means that should Pérez want to remain in the title fight, then he needs to start beating Verstappen on circuit, something which is incredibly difficult to achieve.
Pérez is hoping for a smoother weekend than he had in Canada, where he struggled to “hook up” with the RB18.
“It’s always hard to have a weekend off when you have had a tough race, like I did in Canada, so I am coming into Silverstone with a lot of desire to put things right. As a Team we are on an incredible run and I am here to keep contributing to those results by performing to my best and getting the most out of this car.
“Montreal was the first time I have felt it hasn’t hooked up for me in the RB18 and this weekend is all about getting that great feeling back for me and getting back on the podium. I have been working hard with my Team and we know where and what we need to work on, we’re ready for a good weekend!”
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