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reaction verstappen after victory in gp austria

Verstappen explains why he did not make a pit stop during VSC

2 July 2023 at 15:48
  • Kada Sarkozi
  • Editor

Max Verstappen took the full prize in the Austrian GP. After already winning the sprint race on Saturday, today he took the win as well as the fastest lap of the day. The Red Bull Racing driver is happy with the 34 points he managed to add over the weekend.

"Most important for me was lap one to stay in front. After that we could do our own race. We opted not to box under the VSC and do our normal strategy and that worked out well. Our stints were perfect and I enjoyed it a lot." Verstappen said in conversation with David Coulthard afterwards.

Why not make a 'free' pit stop during the virtual safety car, just like the Ferrari drivers behind him? "I could see the few laps before the VSC we were pulling out quite a gap so I knew we would get them back eventually. Following our own plan was the best way forward." he explained the chosen strategy.

Verstappen enjoyed Austria

Verstappen once again walked out in the World Cup. His lead over nearest rival Sergio Perez is 81 points after the ninth GP of the season. "I don't like to think about (the title) yet. I'm just enjoying the moment driving this car and working with this team," said Verstappen, who is more than happy with his results in Spielberg. "The Sprint weekend is always hectic and a lot of things can go wrong but luckily a lot of things went right - I'm just very happy with this weekend and we'll focus again on Silverstone."