Verstappen: 'The car felt much better after the second stop'.

F1 News

20 June 2021 at 16:25
  • GPblog.com

Max Verstappen won a bizarre French GP this Sunday by beating Lewis Hamilton. As a result, he extends his lead in the World Championship. 

The Dutchman tells ZiggoSport that he had a hard time in the beginning. The circumstances and the setup didn't help. "I felt I was braking normally, but apparently I wasn't braking enough. That moment was an omen for the rest of the stint. Less grip with the tyres, also thanks to the low downforce setup. The wind was a lot stronger and that in combination with less grip and a smaller rear wing made the start difficult."

Undercut Verstappen

Then, to everyone's surprise, Verstappen overtook Hamilton at his first top by taking the undercut. Verstappen was also surprised. "I don't think anyone expected me to come out like that. When I saw him, I used a bit more of my tyres and battery to get in front. After that I had little grip at the back again, it was very difficult to keep them behind. It had been raining and less grip, so it took a while for the grip to come. After the second stop the car felt more normal again."

It eventually earned Verstappen, albeit extremely late, the win and 26 points. Verstappen also picked up the extra point for the fastest lap. As a result, Verstappen is now 12 points ahead in the championship.