Verstappen kept a sharp eye on Alonso: 'You can't relax'

At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Verstappen was supreme again this weekend. On Saturday, Verstappen was already the best in qualifying, only to barely tolerate any opposition in the race as well. When the Red Bull driver was asked during the press conference if he worried about Alonso during the race, the answer says it all.

Verstappen on pressure from Alonso

''Not worried, but you know, you're alert because you keep checking, like, is he catching or not? Or, you know, what do I need to do? Because in the beginning of the race, when he passed Lewis, I was like, okay, let's see what his pace is. And then initially it was quick, and then I could manage my pace around it,'' said Verstappen.

Still, it didn't all go smoothly. Especially the second stint on hard tyres did not go ideally for the two-time world champion. ''nd then on the hard tyres, again, like I think the beginning was good. Like I was creating a bit of a gap, but then I started to struggle with my tyres a little bit. So it's constantly just talking to your engineer, seeing, of course, on the pit board, what's happening.''

So while it sometimes seems like Verstappen can take it easy, that is not the case. ''But yes, you can't relax too much. And especially today with the tyres being so cold, you have to be on it all the time, especially also here in the street circuit. Like tiny mistakes is big lap time loss or in the wall."