Verstappen overjoyed: 'That's why I think we had such a big lead'
General
As often happens in 2023, Max Verstappen was no match for him in Hungary this Sunday. The Red Bull Racing driver was anything but happy with his RB19 in qualifying, but things can change. The 25-year-old Dutchman went like a rocket and had a lead of more than 33 seconds after 70 laps. As such, he cannot help but be satisfied.
"Finally we had a really good start, so very happy with that. We’ve been working on that quite a bit to really try to get the good bite. Then I knew when I had the inside that that corner was mine," Verstappen said of his duel with pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton in the first corner. "It was just late on the brakes, heavy car, so luckily it all worked out well, and from there onwards I could do my race, and today the car was really, really quick.."
RB19 unstoppable
On average, Verstappen was almost half a second faster than runner-up Norris. "I think over one-lap this weekend was a bit of a struggle, but maybe it was a good thing for today. The car was good on any tyre, we could look after the tyre wear, and basically that’s why we could create such a big gap."
Red Bull has now won 12 races in a row, a record in Formula 1. "For the team 12 wins in a row is just incredible. What we’ve been going through the last two years is unbelievable and hopefully we can keep this momentum going for a long time," said Verstappen, who wants better and better and is therefore not afraid to remain critical. "And also just to work with the whole team is always very enjoyable. It’s always good to look into, like yesterday for example, to keep pushing, always wanting to do better, but then a day like today is just perfect."