Verstappen mentions crucial moment: 'That was the most important'

Verstappen on crucial moment GP Austria

"The most important thing for me was the first lap, to just stay first there and I think that in itself all worked out pretty well. After that we could just drive our own race," Verstappen told Viaplay.

"The car was pretty good on the tyres compared to the rest I think, we also had a slightly different strategy compared to most teams because of that virtual safety car. But what we did in the end was just fine," the championship leader continued. "Actually also as we had written it down beforehand."

In the closing stages of the F1 race, Red Bull tried to convince Verstappen not to go for the fastest lap, but in vain. " They first wanted me to cool my tyres a bit, but I don't really think that's a logical strategy, so I kept insisting a bit that we should just go in," the Dutchman explained.

Prominently present were the Dutch fans, who had travelled to the circuit in large numbers dressed in orange. "That last lap in the race was of course on the limit, pushing for that fastest lap. And then the in-lap, super nice of course to see so much orange everywhere and to see everyone going crazy. That's really great," Verstappen said.