Verstappen surprised by duel with Norris: 'Came very close very quickly'

After the sprint race, it already looked like only Norris would be able to stay somewhat close to Max Verstappen. Thanks to a mega start for Norris and the elimination of Charles Leclerc, the Brit started second on the restart, and the battle between the two could erupt.

Verstappen under pressure from Norris

"I think for most of every stint, Lando was matching my lap-times. It was always like the last five to ten laps when it seemed like then, of course, we had better tyre degradation. At the beginning of every stint, I definitely had to focus a lot and I couldn’t afford to make mistakes. It’s not the easiest to drive. It’s not like you can just relax and let the car just roll into the corners without any consequence," said Verstappen after the Sao Paulo GP.

For a brief moment, it even looked like Norris could mount an attack on Verstappen. The Brit got close to Verstappen, and towards turn four, the McLaren driver was even next to him for a moment. Verstappen retained the lead under that pressure and then did manage to drive away from his rival.

"He suddenly closed a lot. I didn't expect him to have a run into Turn 1. I had to use my battery a bit. And for one lap, into 1, into 4, I had to defend. I had to try and maintain that gap. But I think what also was very important at that stage of the stint was to really look after the tyres," concluded the three-time world champion.