Max eyes hat-trick of wins to reel in Leclerc
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BARCELONA • Max Verstappen returns to the scene of his stunning first Formula One triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, as a battle-hardened world champion in pursuit of his second title.
After his tumultuous title victory in Abu Dhabi last year, the 24-year-old Dutchman has become one of the world's highest-paid sports stars and the leading figure of F1's new generation of drivers.
But tomorrow, he will shut out all distractions as he tries to complete his second hat-trick of consecutive wins for Red Bull on a Montmelo circuit where Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes has reigned supreme.
It has been six years since his debut win with Red Bull in Spain, when he became the youngest driver to claim an F1 victory.
"I have a lot of good memories at this track from my first win, when I was 18," he recalled of the first of his 23 F1 wins. "Hopefully, we can keep the momentum we have built up in the last few races.
"I've had some time to rest with my family since then and I'm looking forward to driving again."
After a faltering start to the season, when Red Bull were hit by reliability issues, the team appear to be over their mechanical failures and, following successive wins in Imola and Miami, he has cut Charles Leclerc's lead to 19 points after five of this year's 22 races.
Verstappen has only once before delivered three straight wins - at last year's French, Austrian and Styrian grands prix, a run that gave him title-winning momentum.
Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez has also been home, but not for a rest. He returned to Mexico for the arrival of baby son Emilio - a reason, he said, to register a memorable personal result tomorrow.
But, apart from their 2016 victory, the Circuit de Catalunya has not been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull, with Mercedes winning every other race since 2014.
Ferrari and Mercedes arrive with a major raft of upgrades to reduce weight, improve the performance of their cars and help overcome the "porpoising" that has hampered many drivers' efforts.
Ferrari have reportedly made significant changes to the floor of their F1-75 car while Red Bull's car is said to have lost a reported 7kg.
Mercedes, most afflicted by the bouncing sensation, look set to also revise their "no sidepods" car design in a bid to revitalise Hamilton, who is already 68 points behind Leclerc.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Qualifying: Singtel TV Ch112 & StarHub Ch202, 9.55pm
