Verstappen: “We did not have the pace of the McLarens, second place is a great result”
After launching an attack on the McLaren drivers with soft tyres at the start, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen quickly realised he did not have the race pace to match the MCL39 cars at his home track in Zandvoort. The Dutchman later admitted that he was fortunate to secure second place thanks to the retirement of Lando Norris.
It cannot be said that Max Verstappen did not try to deliver joy to his passionate home crowd at the Dutch Grand Prix. The four-time world champion and his Red Bull Racing team opted for an aggressive race strategy, always running on softer compounds compared to the McLarens ahead. However, on the demanding curves of Zandvoort there was simply nothing he could do against the overwhelming performance of the MCL39.
At the start, the decision to use soft tyres allowed him to snatch second place temporarily from Lando Norris. Yet in his attempt to challenge Oscar Piastri as well, Verstappen took a significant risk between turns 2 and 3. Within only a few laps, after Norris reclaimed the position, it became evident that Verstappen would not be able to sustain the relentless pace of the papaya-coloured cars. Even the two safety car periods triggered by Ferrari’s accidents did not provide him with an opportunity to rejoin the fight for victory.
Nonetheless, fortune eventually came his way. With just seven laps remaining, Lando Norris’s McLaren began smoking, forcing the British driver to stop at the side of the track and effectively handing Verstappen the second step of the podium on a silver platter. Verstappen honoured the gift by switching back to soft tyres under the safety car caused by Norris’s retirement. In the closing three laps, he tried to keep close to Oscar Piastri, who remained in control, but considering the way the race had developed until those final moments, second place already represented a highly satisfying result.
“It was not easy. I gave everything at the start to recover positions and had a small scare at turn 2. After that, we simply had to run our own race. Unfortunately, we did not have the pace of the McLarens and we also had a bit of luck because one of them retired. In general, though, finishing on the podium here is a great achievement. I believe second place is a very good result for us,” said Verstappen in the immediate post-race interviews in parc fermé, just before stepping onto the podium.
When asked to elaborate on the risk he took on the opening lap, Verstappen added: “I tried to attack Oscar at turn 3, but I carried too much momentum into turn 2 and ended up going wide. I simply tried to make the most of the soft tyres on that first lap,” he concluded.
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