Max Verstappen: I always think about how to win

      After winning the Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen commented on the race results with satisfaction…

      Question: Max, a brilliant victory. You started third — tell us what happened next…

      Max Verstappen: I had a decent start, gained one position, and then just monitored the tyres. The safety car came out at exactly the right moment. We decided to pit, and many behind did the same.

      The team did a great job. We avoided problems in the pit lane, although it was chaotic there. At that moment I realised we had probably done the right thing. I knew the two McLaren drivers would have to really push to make up the deficit after their pit stops. On the restart they pulled away a bit, but I was quick too. I tried to stick to my pace and look after the tyres, and that was enough to the finish.

      Question: Did you discuss on the radio the possibility of staying out?

      Max Verstappen: I didn't hear anything like that. Maybe the team discussed it on the pit wall and they just called me into the pits.

      Question: And at that moment did you realise the win would be yours?

      Max Verstappen: I thought we had a pretty good chance. I don't think about losing. That's not me. I always think about how to win.

      Question: The car was very quick in the race. In which areas did you manage to improve compared to the start of the weekend?

      Max Verstappen: The car was the same as in qualifying. And the problems were the same. We won the race thanks to strategy.

      Question: The title will be decided in Abu Dhabi — how competitive will your car be there?

      Max Verstappen: I have no idea. I hope we start the weekend well and move forward step by step. That always helps.

      Competing with rivals on pure pace will be difficult, but in Qatar we saw that it's not just about speed.

      Question: You're 12 points behind Lando Norris. Considering how the season has gone, how pleased are you to have this chance to fight for the title?

      Max Verstappen: I'm excited. I'm happy to have this chance. But you have to be realistic — on pure pace we're a bit behind. Although when strategy or making the right decisions at the right time comes into play, we might have a chance.

      Question: Max, you've been in title fights many times, dominated for several years, and this year you'll again be fighting for the championship at the final round. How do you rate this season compared to previous ones, since for much of the year you were behind…

      Max Verstappen: I had a strong season. And that's what I expect of myself after 11 years in Formula 1. Each year you become a more complete driver. Even in the years when you won the championship, there was always something you could've done better. That could concern setup, your actions during the race, or working with the team.

      This year, as everyone knows, the first half of the season was difficult for us. But we're still in the fight and can be proud of that, because mid-season at one point we didn't — not so much lose motivation, but we didn't see a way to start winning races again. But we managed, improved the car, and at some weekends we were very competitive. And we were able to win again.

      Question: You said that over the season you gradually learned the car. Can you point to any specific moment, or was it a process that continued throughout the season?

      Max Verstappen: At Zandvoort we found a direction for further work. On some circuits it worked really well; on others we're still a bit behind — like in Qatar. We know that long medium-speed corners generally don't suit our car.

      Our car suits tracks that require medium or low downforce. And that's clearly not Qatar or Abu Dhabi. They also have several long corners.

      In the future we'll try to sort that out. I know the regulations will be completely different, but it's important to understand why things aren't working well now so we can be better in the future.

      Question: Before this race Zak Brown described you as a horror-movie character who keeps coming back. Don't you get the feeling you've lodged in McLaren's heads, messed with them, and that's why they're making mistakes?

      Max Verstappen: He can call me Chucky. I saw that too. I found it quite funny. For my part I'm just focused on myself. I know that when I get in the car I just try to do everything I can — like everyone else, probably. It's the only thing I can control, right? And it's the only thing I'm focused on.