The former F1 driver Eddie Irvine had been recently interviewed about the 2021 title race, the skills of Max Verstappen, and his time at Ferrari with highly acclaimed driver Michael Schumacher.
With the 2021 Formula 1 season well underway, online betting site Betway site Betway interacted with former F1 driver Eddie Irvine to share his views on the title race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, experience as a teammate to Michael Schumacher, and the effect of Drive to Survive.
What do you think of the 2021 F1 season so far?
The 2021 season has been amazing so far. Verstappen is clearly the fastest driver out there at the minute, however, you have to say Lewis Hamilton is probably still at the top in driving. It’s been delightful to watch those two guys go at it. I think it will be a great season.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen are more ambitious than they have been in years. What modifications do you think they have adopted since last year to make that happen?
With regards to Verstappen’s driving – finally after six seasons he’s clearly getting his act together. So far he has been super-fast, and you can be of the opinion that he’s by far the most dominant team leader on the grid. He’s had many, many different second drivers in the team and none of them have got near to his level. So it’s kinda like the Michael Schumacher effect. While Lewis has been frequently out-qualified and out-performed by his teammates, you’d have to admit that Verstappen is probably the ultimate talent, although Lewis currently remains a consummate professional and has only some weak spots.
You participated in the world championship in 1999. How would you recall the pressures of an F1 title race?
The pressures of Formula 1 are vast. You’ve got 500 or 600 people working at the factory, and you’re the guy who is accountable for bringing the results at the end. So you have all that pressure on you, and that you want to do a good job because if you’re in the sport you have to be serious about it. You want to perform as best as you can. Sometimes a lot of it is not under your control, but you’ve got to give 100 percent every time. It was very hard in 1999 because it was my one chance at the World Championship and we got close, however, we didn’t quite pull it off. The reason behind it was my one shot was an added pressure – it wasn’t like I was in a Williams for three years and had three years to claim the championship. It was a lot of pressure, but we are paid for it.
How do you think those pressures are no longer the same in the 20 years since your own title push?
It has become more professional just like every other sport has. But it doesn’t seem as much fun as it was then, I can say that for sure.
We’ve already observed Hamilton and Verstappen go at each other during the press conferences. How difficult is it not to get personal with your competitors?
I never had a issue with getting personal. To me, it was all in one, the professional and personal situation. Everything is fair in love and war and I see Formula 1 as war so I really had no issue with levying criticism or saying anything that I thought would help me. I was there for me and my team, and I didn’t care about others.
You have experience of four years at Ferrari with Michael Schumacher. Can you tell how it is playing second fiddle to your teammate?
Being Schumacher’s teammate was fantastic in one way as I got to work with who I still consider to be the greatest driver of all time. He dominated his team-mates greatly. Of course, he started to get older and wasn’t that fast as he was but in the early days it was amazing to see a guy operate at such a high level. So from that experience it was an honor. Obviously, you never look generally good when you’re up against someone like Schumacher. But I was lucky in a way as by the time I was there, Schumacher was viewed as very special. The individuals that Schumacher came against much before in his career got dumped as people failed to realize how good he was at that time.
How much did it contribute to your learning from one another when racing with Schumacher?
It was difficult to learn from Schumacher as it was just pure talent. He just had a great ability to extract the most out of a racing vehicle. That was that.
Can you name your favorite team-mate during your career in F1?
I would need to name Michael as we had a really good working relationship. I never had a problem with him. He did the best he could every weekend, I did the best I could do as well. If something had to be done for the team, I had to do something for them, and that’s it. It was really simple.
How do drivers such as Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez manage their position as de facto second drivers?
Their work is to do what they can do the best, that’s it. Bottas has beaten Hamilton in the race before, more frequently than he has lately. Perez is currently new in there against Verstappen, but Verstappen has made it evident that the game is already finished. They’re both de facto No. 2s, however, I don’t think against two individuals such as Hamilton and Verstappen that’s a great negative. I don’t think anybody in Formula 1 would go up against those two individuals and frequently beat them. I think Hamilton is getting older now and his speed isn’t that good as it was, but he’s still, as I already told, a consummate professional. I think others know that anybody who goes against Verstappen is going to get defeated due to his pure speed.
Seeing Channel 4’s coverage and Netflix’s Drive To Survive, how much do you think the new audience is interested in F1?
I think Formula 1 did a fantastic job with Drive to Survive. Wherever I go, and I travel a lot in the US, the Bahamas, and everywhere in Europe, I get a lot of people informing me now that they love Formula 1 and Netflix. That happens when you are bringing in new owners that are exactly into marketing. They’ve done a good job at making the content look that interesting. It has really attracted fans. The owners have got other problems to deal with, but with regards to marketing to a new audience, I would rate them at 10/10, in my opinion.
