Herbert agrees with Norris: 'Verstappen got lucky, Russell was in control'
F1 News
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen in fact got lucky at Interlagos, similarly to what Lando Norris said after the Grand Prix, but that does not mean his drive is worth anything less. The Briton referred to the Dutch driver one of the 'best champions'.
As conditions got worse at Interlagos, Red Bull had everything covered before the Safety Car came out. Sergio Perez was put on a set of wet tyres, so the team could see the tyres performance as well, while Max Verstappen could stay out in P2, waiting possibly for a red flag. That red flag did arrive, but it was because Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams. That gave the current championship leader a 'free' pit stop.
"Max was lucky because of the timing of the red flag. The driver who was in most control at that time was George Russell who was driving fantastically well. But that doesn’t decry from what Max did. It wasn’t the first time a red flag has affected the race, and it won’t be the last," the former driver who also acted a steward last weekend told Safest Betting Sites.
He added: "What’s unbelievable sometimes is that all the best champions always have this uncanny ability to make their own luck," calling the Dutchman one of the best F1 drivers ever.
On qualifying red flag
The last day in Brazil however did not start according to plan for Verstappen, after qualifying was delayed to Sunday morning. In Q2, according to the driver, the red flag was waved too late for Lance Stroll's crash.
Herbert however believes that was not the case. "It didn’t work for Max in qualifying. The incident with Lance Stroll and the complaint that the red flag was not put out quickly enough which wasn’t the case. That is why he qualified so far back. He was unlucky then that he didn’t have the chance for one more flying lap."
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