Coronel wanted Verstappen on a different strategy: "You saw with Gasly"
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In the studio of Ziggo Sport they agreed that Max Verstappen's third place was the maximum possible during the Belgian Grand Prix. During the race at Spa-Francorchamps Mercedes didn't even seem to give it all. It meant a lonely afternoon for the Red Bull Racing driver.
"I think it's the maximum that was in it," says Tom Coronel in the studio. "Max was in the middle of nowhere. In the beginning I had hoped that he could just grab Bottas' slipstream. You also saw that he could hook on to the white belt (during the second stint), but you saw Bottas pull away again. Then he was gone again.
Praise for Ricciardo
Behind Verstappen it was Daniel Ricciardo who achieved his best season result by taking fourth place. "I think Ricciardo did an amazing job. He fought Max for a while in the beginning, but realised that he was in a Renault and that fourth place would be a world result," says Robert Doornbos.
Lewis Hamilton saw his lead in the World Championship standings grow to 47 points over Verstappen. "Hamilton is a living legend what he does in that car. He is practically faultless again today and knows how to drive the car home," he continues. According to Coronel, perhaps Red Bull should have chosen a different strategy. "They could have gone off-sync. Actually it was too easy. Are you going to take the risk? You saw it with Pierre Gasly at the end, he ate them up."