Verstappen tells the story of the fastest lap: 'That wasn’t planned!'

"That wasn't planned!" Verstappen explained in the post-race press conference. "To me, not. But to the team, I think they were a little bit more nervous. But I saw the gap and I was like, 'We have to pit.' I want to go for the fastest lap when you have the opportunity. And that's what we did at the end," Verstappen added.

He continued: "Maybe (the fastest lap worth more than the podium)! From the outside, maybe it looks like a big risk. But when you're in the car, for me, it didn't feel like a risk at all."

Verstappen was also satisfied with his team in general. "It's been a pretty incredible weekend, of course something I didn't expect. But with the sprint format, normally it's always a bit more chaotic to get on top of everything. But I think we did everything well as a team, as well also today, I think with the strategy, with the pit stops, everything was smooth. And out there on the track, we just had a very quick car and I felt comfortable in the car. We could do everything we wanted, like we planned it."

Battle with Leclerc

The defending champion also explained his overtake on Charles Leclerc. "I mean, it was good, but also a little bit unfair. The tyre advantage I had as well, and I think also the general pace advantage. But yeah, I mean, of course, Charles, he knows how to race. You could see that also last year, right, around here. But we were clearly just a bit faster today."

"Yeah, I mean, you know where the line is, right? But I also had a lot more grip and traction.  So for me, I think it's not really...  Yeah, I mean, it's what it is. It would have been better if you had similar pace, same tyres. You're really fighting for it. I think the battle between Carlos and Checo is better in that sense," Verstappen continued.

Another mention of the media

The same way when the Dutch driver and Sergio Perez talking about yesterday’s fight in the first three corner between them, Verstappen once again mentioned the media in general. This time, he commented on the distance by he was leading, compared to the Canadian Grand Prix. "I loved all the articles about it! Yeah, I mean, some weekends they work a bit better for you and some don't. And for me, Montreal wasn't that fantastic in the race from our side. And here, I think we did a really good job. And actually, the gap is a bit bigger."