Formula 1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi in an exclusive interview
The Austrian Grand Prix is coming up, which is why we asked F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi for an interview.
The Brazilian talks about Max Verstappen ploughing through the competition once again, who his toughest rivals are and where he disagrees with Red Bull boss Helmut Marko.
How dominant do you expect Red Bull to be at its home grand prix this weekend?
Emerson Fittipaldi: “Max has the momentum and is on his way to his third world championship. I am sure he will be particularly motivated in this race. The team will also be under enormous pressure.
He doesn’t need any more motivation or confidence than what he has now, but I hope Sergio Perez does well.
Checo Perez needs to get his act together. He needs results. He needs to perform. In motorsport, as in any other sport, people don’t remember three or four GPs, they remember the last Grand Prix.
Racing has a very short memory. But I am sure it will be strong. Mercedes might surprise us because it looks like Lewis is coming back and they are getting their act together.
When I hear Toto Wolff say that they have new upgrades for the next Grands Prix, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Mercedes is going very strong now.
Fernando will definitely compete. He has been on the podium many times this season and feels very good and determined. The team will be pushing hard.
Ferrari can be strong there, in qualifying and then in the race. Charles Leclerc won there last year and they are strong.
Austria could be an exciting race because the teams are getting more competitive and balanced. If it rains, a lot can change. “
Helmut Marko recently said that only Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are drivers on the grid who can keep up with Max – do you agree with that statement?
Fittipaldi: “I understand Helmut’s point of view, but I’m sure Leclerc will be there on a good day. He is very quick for sure. And Lando Norris is also very fast.
In my opinion, Lando Norris is a very fast driver. He and Leclerc can definitely challenge Verstappen. I understand Fernando and Lewis, both former world champions, are top because they are experienced.
Their assessments during the race are always good and most of the time they are right. But Leclerc and Norris are also there. “
It seems that Helmut Marko and Christian Horner disagreed about Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. Does such news influence a driver?
Fittipaldi: “Every young driver in a new team is under pressure. And when you have two bosses who have different opinions that you have to respect, it adds to the pressure.
He has to be under enormous pressure because he wants to prove that he has the right to be there. And at the same time, we don’t know from the outside how much was discussed between Franz and Helmut about Nyck De Vries.
The driver knows, but we don’t know. And when you are under pressure and you don’t have experience, it’s a big problem.
You start ‘over-riding’ or you tie yourself down and don’t take risks, which leads to a low performance threshold.
You play it too safe and you’re afraid to make mistakes because you think if you make another mistake you’ll get fired. Sometimes that’s difficult for a young rider. “
