Jos Verstappen proud after decisive move: 'Then you get these races'

What had ultimately been the deciding factor? Jos Verstappen didn't have to think about that for a second: "His overtaking move on Norris. They (McLaren) started on new tyres and they had just slightly more grip. You could see that at the start. And after that it was just good," was the former F1 driver's simple conclusion during an exclusive interview with GPblog.

Nor should it be underestimated how well Verstappen got off the mark, even on his used mediums. With a comfortable margin, the three-time world champion entered the first corner. "The starts are going well this year. That's fine," Jos Verstappen said.

Verstappen benefits from battling McLarens

For Verstappen, it was fortunate that McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were fighting each other, so the Dutchman did not have to worry about them. "That's what you lose when two teammates are almost the same [in terms of level]. That overtaking action [by Norris on Verstappen] obviously created that Piastri got past Norris. And brings another, extra point for us. So he did that well," said Jos Verstappen.

So the sprint victory is in for Verstappen, later in the day qualifying for the Grand Prix. For now, the weekend is running smoothly, Jos also said. "It also looked strong. From the start the car felt good, so that's kind of important. If the first impression is good, then you get races like this."