Max wins opening 'A Tribute to Motorsport Legends'

Published on 15 April 2020 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen took the win in the first ‘A Tribute to Motorsport Legends’ online event organised by Team Redline. The Aston Martin Red Bull Racing crossed the finish line in first place ahead of Formula 2 driver Felipe Drugovich and DTM’s Daniel Juncadella. The second race ended in a disappointing P18 for Max after he spun following contact with Juncadella.

‘A Tribute to Motorsport Legends’ is honouring the legends of decades of motorsport, including Stirling Moss, who passed away on Sunday. The venue for the first two rounds of the series is the Silverstone layout used until 2010. The drivers compete in the spectacular Lotus 79. The car, designed by the late, great Colin Chapman, dominated the 1978 season by clinching both the driver and constructor titles.

Qualifying consists of two timed laps. Max sets his fastest time in his first effort. His 1:36.863 is good enough for pole position, 0.04s ahead of Kelvin van der Linde, with the top ten covered by 0.8s.

Max nails the start, unlike Van der Linde who drops down the order. After the opening lap, Max leads Daniel Juncadella by a second and a half. The Spanish driver slowly bridges the gap to the leader but his progress is halted by an overexuberant overtake attempt by third places Felipe Drugovich. Both drivers can continue but have to settle for second and third behind a victorious Max.

Race 1 - A Tribute to Motorsport Legends by Team Redline

Because of his win in race 1, Max inherits pole for race 2. Once again, the Dutchman executes the start well and is able to create a half a second gap at the end of the opening lap to Juncadella.

The DTM race winner keeps the pressure on Max and at the entry of Abbey, the Red Bull Racing ace goes wide and collides with Juncadella. Max spins and is hit in the ensuing melee. After repairs in the pits, he heads back out, ultimately finishing in eighteenth.

At the front, Drugovich takes a dominant win ahead of Agustin Canapino and Juncadella.

The next and final round of the ‘A Tribute to Motorsport Legends’ series is scheduled for Friday 8.45pm. Tune in via live.teamredline.com. To join Max onboard, head to twitch.tv/maxverstappen. You can find more info on the event here.

Race 2 - A Tribute to Motorsport Legends by Team Redline