Mercedes team boss Wolff described the 1.3 second gap between polesitter Verstappen and seventh-placed Perez in qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix as “odd” and “bizarre”, insinuati☂ng that the t💞wo-time world champion is very good at getting a car to be built to suit him. 

“I mean, Checo is not an idiot,” Wolff said at Zandvoort. “We have seen in all these years. Checo is a grand prix winner, a multiple grand prix winner. And he was [already a winner] at Racing Point. So I cannot c🌳omprehend🔴.

“I mean, we’ve seen Max has destroyed every single team-mate that was with him, whether it’s his ability to create a car around himself that is justꦦ very tricky to control – but fast if you can [control it] – and that makes those gaps.

“The 1.3s. 🧔I haven’t heard any obvious explanations. But… odd.”

Verstappen was f😼ar from impressed when hಞe was asked about Wolff’s comments ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. 

“Bullshi🌼t comments!” he said. “It’s not like that.

“I just drive the car the fastest way possible. I’m not there to tell the guys to give me♛ more because that’s how 🐲I like it.

“I just say ‘Design me the fastest car and I’ll drive around that’ because every single yearඣ, every car drives a little bit differently.

“People ask ‘What is your driving style?’ My driving style is not something particular. I adapt to what I need for the car ✃to go quick.

“For me, what is very important is th👍at you are able to adapt your driving style to what the car needs.”

After matching Sebastian Vettel’s all-time feat last time out at his home race, Verstappen has the chance to set a new o🥃utright record for most successive wins in F1 with a 10th successive victory at Monza. 

“I never thought that I would win nine in♐ a row, first of all,” 🦂he said. 

“Now that we are here, of course, I try to win 10 but it’s more about I want to just win. It’s not about the number 10 in my hea🌸d.

“Also that just helps a lot to focus on the weekend. It’s already difficult en💮ough different with the different tyre choices we have to deal with. We’ll just get on with it and we’ll see what happens.”