Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen is excited to get back to racing after a 3-month gap. The Dutchman won the title in the season finale in Abu Dhabi in December last year.
Verstappen was speaking on Red Bull's official podcast, "Talking Bull," where he shared how the start of the season always brings about a sense of excitement. He said:
“Very excited. I’ve been waiting for this day at least for three months. I’m always initially not excited, but then the closer we get to a race weekend, the more you get really into it and I’m more excited.”
There was a lot of controversy surrounding the way the championship battle was decided last season. Michael Masi, the architect of the mess created at the Abu Dhabi GP, is no longer a part of the paddock.
For Max Verstappen, however, life moves on as even this season it does appear that the Red Bull should be capable of fighting for wins and perhaps even the championship.
"The car looks good", says Max Verstappen
When questioned on his views on the new era of the sport, Max Verstappen talked about how things are going to change. He feels the developments are going to make for closer racing, which has everyone on the grid excited.
Verstappen said:
“The car looks good. I think it’s a whole new era for the sport as well and, of course, they were focused on mainly trying to bring everyone closer together and making the racing better.”
He went on to add, saying:
“The last few years, most of the time once you were within one, one-and-a-half seconds it was just really difficult to follow. So I hope the racing will improve in general but I’m at the moment just excited. It’s all so new that it’s all a bit unknown as well.”
Verstappen also felt that there are still too many unknowns in the season. Additionally, the jury is still out on how the new cars are going to behave in traffic and whether the changes that have been brought are going to be effective enough to improve overtaking. Regardless, the new season has F1 fans hooked to the screens in anticipation, hoping it doesn't disappoint.