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Verstappen gets bonus point: "Listen, I already had a sh** day yesterday"
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen takes home 19 points after the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix and that causes mixed feelings. On the one hand, he is happy that he still managed to cross the finish line second from 15th place, but on the other, he argues that he lost the victory on Saturday due to problems with his driveshaft.
Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen said realistically about his overtaking race in the square: "We were helped a bit with that safety car, which made it a bit easier to drive to that second place." Stopping the moment Lance Stroll stalled allowed Verstappen to make a 'free' pit stop, passing both Ferrari drivers.
After 25 laps, the world championship leader was in second place, six seconds behind Perez. It proved not enough to really fight for his second win in 2023. "I did close the gap, but it was not enough to attack," said Verstappen, who frequently complained of problems. Again, it was something with the drivetrain. "It was the same problem, but it didn't break down and I felt a lot of vibrations. It was weird, the balance wasn't right. At one point I thought: it's okay."
Verstappen pushes in last lap
Perez briefly seemed to become the new number one in the World Championship, but Verstappen snatched the extra point for the fastest race lap from his teammate on the very last lap."Listen, I already had a sh** day yesterday, so when you are second then, you also want to take that extra point," Verstappen concluded.