Exclusive: We put YOUR questions to Max Verstappen at Monaco GP

It's already been quite some debut for Max Verstappen at the Monaco Grand Prix. Finishing second to Lewis Hamilton in opening practice on Thursday was arguably the most impressive display yet by the 17-year-old, whose confident - and quick - arrival in F1 has already belied his youth.

Earlier in the week, we asked you to send in questions for Toro Rosso's teen sensation. Here are his answers...

Hey Max! Do you set a certain target before a GP or do you just try to do your best and accept whatever you get? Since you're the youngest racer and have less experience compared to most of the others.

Love from Jennie Michelle, Malaysia.

Max Verstappen: “You have to wait until the first few practices to see how the car is behaving on the track and how you are doing. I just go into it and I don’t really set targets. Of course, you want to score points but everything around you also has to play in your favour and you need to have a good car to do that.

“I just go into the race weekend and after two or three practices you can see where you are. And from there on, you can set more your targets.”

Hi Max,

Last year there was an interview with Lewis and he said that Nico always expected to get to F1 as a result of his father's connections whereas Lewis dreamed. My question is: How did you rate your chances of getting to the highest pinnacle of motorsport given how your father is very connected in the world of F1? Also, what it is like to have the coolest job for a 17 year old in the world?

Cheers,

William Olive

MV: “I think it doesn’t give you any guarantee at all - you have to do it yourself. Of course, your dad can be a help but still it doesn’t give you any guarantee and you have to work very hard for it like everyone else. At one point, it was also my dream to get there and you have to do your best like everyone else. So I don’t think that makes a difference in the end.

“It’s always what I wanted to do, so I’m really enjoying where I am right now.”

If you weren’t an F1 driver, what would you be doing?

Dean Goldsmith

MV: “Probably racing on a bike. On two wheels!”

It must be lovely to have your dad by your side every race weekend and share everything with him. Does it add something special to you in your first season having him next to you as a dad and ex-F1 driver?

Carla and Paul from the Netherlands

MV: “Well, we have been next to each other all the time, so it’s not anything special. It’s just very nice that he raced F1 and I’m racing F1 right now, so that’s a bit special. But for us it’s quite normal to be with each other in a race weekend because since go-karting we did those things already.

“He’s a great help, for sure, for little things where I can improve. I just enjoy him being around.”

Max, describe racing in one word?

Sam Dowman

MV: “In one word? Cool!”

How do you control your nerves?

Emily Jackson

MV: “I’m not really nervous before a race. You need to be very confident and know what you’re doing, so you just go into the race – you know what you have, you know what you can do – and that’s how you go into it.”

How do you cope having your dad stood at the back of the garage looking on? Surely it must be daunting for you knowing that he is at the back ready to chip in with words of advice at times when you probably don't want his advice. Can he be eager to get involved with your race engineer during talks between runs?

James Gregory

MV: “For me, it’s nice, it’s always good to have him. I mean, I’m really busy with the team trying to make the car better. I see him in my mirrors sometimes behind me, standing there, but I just speak to him after the practice, qualifying or race.

“Getting involved? No, no, that’s not allowed. They know what to do and I always speak to my dad after that, so there’s no reason to jump and try to help them. They have a lot of experience themselves as well.”

Good afternoon,

How do you feel about going in your first Monaco GP with the proverbial "big boys of motorsport"? Are you excited/nervous and how do you fancy your chances? Thanks in advance. Full gas!

Viktor V. Ivanov

MV: “Those big boys, they all started like I started, so I’m not really worried about that. Of course, they have a lot more experience, but I did some street races before in F3. Of course, that’s a bit different and I still need some time here to get used to the track. But that’s what the free practices are for and hopefully we can get it working for qualifying because a lot of guys around me have a lot of experience.

“But yeah, I just try to build it up, focus on my style and get myself in better shape before qualifying.”

Hey Max what is it like being the youngest F1 driver in history? Also how did you manage the transition from karting to F3 to F1 so well?

Austin Hord

MV: “To be the youngest driver, for me, doesn’t make any special difference. I wanted to be in F1 and that’s what’s happened right now and that’s where you want to be. So I’m really happy, of course, but it doesn’t have a special meaning for me.

“I was in karting in 2013, so [F3] in 2014 and then in the middle of 2014 I signed my contract [with Red Bull/Toro Rosso]. I think it was a lot of feeling and having the right guidance from the start with my dad. I did some [Formula] Renault testing, that helped me a lot, of course, and at the end I made the jump to F3 – but it was a very late decision.

“It’s really difficult to explain. I think it’s just about yourself, the feeling in the car; the experience from go-karting can help you a lot. And then it’s just about delivering on track."

You said it was a very late decision to jump to F3?

MV: “It was the end of February, beginning of March [2014] I decided to do F3. So we were very late deciding. Because I wanted to do two-litre [cars] but it was a risky category – because you can do well. But if you don’t do well, it’s over.

“I did some testing in F3 and I felt really comfortable, better than in a two-litre [Formula Renault] car. I mean, it’s a big jump from go-karting to F3 but I felt more comfortable in that car so I preferred to race in that category. So in the end we made that decision.”

And how quickly did the F1 drive come about? You were at last year's German GP and both Mercedes and Red Bull were keen on signing you at that stage...

MV: “We were talking in Germany [in July 2014] about F1 and then maybe one month later we decided to sign. So it was quite quick.”

Hi Max

This is Aadil from South Africa. How would you describe your driving style?

Aadil Khota

MV: “Mine! I don’t think you have a particular driving style. Sometimes you need to be aggressive, sometimes you need to be a bit more conservative. I think if you’re a good driver, you can adapt yourself between those two.

“Everybody is different, so you have your own targets. You can’t compare to anyone.”

Hi Max

Do you find that Monaco brings a lot more distraction to your preparation off the track with all the glitz and glamour around the town?

Marcus Bakes

MV: “Not really. You’re focusing on the race weekend – you’re busy with your engineers, about getting the car ready and preparing yourself for the first free practice. Of course, there’s a lot going on around but that’s not for us.”

Some drivers do modelling at the Friday night fashion show, don’t they?

MV: “Yeah, but I’m not doing that.”

Maybe next year?

MV: “Maybe, I’m not sure!”

How much knowledge of the technology of the cars do drivers need to know?

Jasmine Banares

MV: “I think the more the better. If you understand a lot of bits, it’s easier to tell the engineers what’s the problem, or what can be better. So it’s very important that you know the basic things but you have to be quite technical as well. That’s very important to be successful.”

So how many buttons are there on your steering wheel?

MV: “A lot! But by practicing you get used to that quite a bit. It does look like quite a lot but once you know what it all means, you just do what they ask you to do.”  

Don’t miss Sky Sports F1’s exclusively live coverage of the 2015 Monaco GP. The race begins at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up underway from 11.30am. No Sky Sports? No problem! Watch the Monaco GP for £6.99 with NOW TV