Red Bull ahead of Montreal and Baku

Daniel Ricciardo

“I love Canada, I love Montreal, the city’s great and I really enjoy the circuit. I like the people a lot, it’s a very friendly city – it’s easily one of my top five races.

“It’s a place where you can really muscle the car around the chicanes which is fun. I love the race – my first win in Canada will always be special so I’m keen to get back there.

“Unfortunately last year was probably my worst race of the year but I hope it will be a lot better this year.

“The city is a lot like Melbourne in a way; there are plenty of things to do, there’s a lot of culture, it’s very European, and the people are super friendly. I also love the local cuisine. The Poutine is so good! I had it on the Sunday night after the race last year. Lobster Poutine actually, which was gourmet and it was so damn good.

“Then it’s on to Baku. I’m excited to go there because it’s a new track so it’s going to be a challenge for everyone, but the fact that it’s a street circuit is really cool. I’m pretty optimistic that the city itself will be quite good fun. I’ve seen some pictures of the city and it looks cool – it sort of reminds me of Budapest a little bit, so let’s see, I’m pretty excited to go there.”

Max Verstappen

“The track is quite special as it has a lot of long straights and then slow corners with low grip so we have to find the right balance with our setup. I like the braking area heading into the last hairpin where there are a lot of people watching who always cheer us on. You’re very close to the walls so there is a special feeling to drive there.

“Hopefully with the new engine update it should be a positive race for us. We’ll try and aim for a podium.”

“Then after Canada we’re heading to Baku. My dad has raced there back in 2012, and I’ve watched the races online and some parts of the track are pretty similar. He was pretty positive about the whole city in general saying it’s a nice place to go so I’m looking forward to it.

“The track looks very interesting because it has such a long straight for a street circuit which will be difficult for the wing setting because on a street circuit you want lots of downforce but with such a long straight you have to find a good compromise.

“Baku is new for everyone. You start from zero which I always like, and it’s always good to discover new countries and new tracks.”

Red Bull Racing