Max after fourth victory of his career: 'Unexpected, but very nice'

Published on 02 July 2018 by Raymond Snip

Max after fourth victory of his career: 'Unexpected, but very nice'

Max Verstappen crossed the finish line after an entertaining Austrian Grand Prix today, achieving the fourth victory in his career. The Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver talks about the race at the Red Bull Ring, where the virtual safety car situation was optimised.

"The victory was a bit unexpected, especially after our speed on Friday in the long runs," Max said. "In the first part of the race we were able to keep up relatively well. I was just trying to drive my own race. When Valtteri failed and the virtual safety car came, the team made an excellent decision by bringing us in. Towards the end I noticed my tyre-wear was increasing, but fortunately I was able to manage this until the end of the race."

Daniel Ricciardo was struggling with the rubber under his RB14. He had to make an extra pit stop. Max explains the tyre-wear situation: "The tyres are very sensitive. If you handle them too aggressively during the first five laps, you can already ruin them. We already experienced this during free practice.”

Max also feels sorry for his team-mate, who did not make it to the end of the race: "It is a shame, because at one point we were both in podium position. A retirement is of course never good for the team, especially if you could have scored quite a few points with both cars."

A great overtake on Kimi Raikkonen also ensured that the Dutchman could drive his own race. Max explains: "It was a tough, but good fight. We touched each other a little, but that's good for the sport. After all, we have enough experience to deal with these situations."

Was there a moment when Verstappen knew that a victory was possible? "That was difficult to say because Kimi and Sebastian were catching up towards the end of the race. I also did not know if they had extra . With three or four laps to go, the chances of winning were of course great, but even then you do not know what the tyres are going to do."

The Dutchman also has a message to all fans present: "Great support all weekend and it was amazing to see so much orange. It is very special if you win the race and see the fans, it’s incredible. Austria is still a ten, eleven hours away from Holland, so it's amazing that they all came here."

After a rather difficult start to the season, the good results flow into the last races. How did this changeover take place? "I think it’s just racing", Max concludes. "Sometimes you have difficult moments, but even then you keep working hard and you overcome the situation."