F1 | Max: “The RB20 was on track, I could do what I wanted”

After the success in the sprint race, there was very little doubt that the victory of the Chinese Grand Prix could also end up in the hands of Max Verstappen. The Dutchman remained faithful to expectations, also winning the Sunday race with a consistent 13-second advantage over Lando Norris, despite a generous Safety Car before mid-race eliminating the gap built previously.

The entry of the safety car has in fact changed the scenarios a bit. As expected, Red Bull was following its strategy, with the two scheduled stops leading to Verstappen and Sergio Perez stopping on the same lap, while McLaren changed things up a bit over the course of the Grand Prix.

Realistically, Ferrari had started with the idea of ​​focusing on two stops, so much so that Charles Leclerc had also kept two new sets of medium tyres, using one used for the sprint. However, with the traffic in the first laps, the Red team changed its race tactics, focusing on Plan D, which is the only stop to reach the end. McLaren was able to read the situation well, copying the strategy of the Cavallino team, but in fact deviating from the tactics followed by Verstappen.

This forced Verstappen, who was on an extra stop at that point, to have to overtake both Norris and Leclerc on the track, thus regaining the lead of the race. The only doubt that emerged during his race concerned the Virtual Safety Car period due to the failure of Valtteri Bottas' Sauber after about twenty laps: if the safety car had entered, at that point Verstappen would have stopped and lined up to his opponents, otherwise he would have continued on the two stops.

After a period of waiting, the Safety Car finally came out, prompting Red Bull to recall both its drivers: at that point, the three-time world champion aligned himself with his rivals on a strategic level, mounting a hard one with which he should have get to the checkered flag.

In fact, the interruption did not create any problems, because Verstappen was immediately able to rebuild a safety margin, and then extended his lead to thirteen seconds at the finish line. After the success in the sprint race, therefore, also came the success in the Sunday race, with the confirmation of a fast RB20 for the whole weekend, except for that wet qualifying which caught the counterattack.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“It was great. We were incredibly fast all weekend. And yes, it was nice to drive this car with every single compound. I think we managed the restarts well, then the car was as if it were on the tracks, I could do everything I wanted. This is also why I wasn't worried after the SC, I knew we had a little more pace than the others. On this type of weekend, the car is a pleasure to drive and everything we have achieved this weekend is fantastic.”

The only concern arose on the last lap, when the Dutchman passed over Zhou's debris with the doubt that he might have had a puncture. However, Verstappen managed to reach the finish line without experiencing any problems, thus celebrating his fourth success of the season: “In the past I happened to retire one step away from the finish. There was a bit of debris, I think from a car, so I went by at 300 km/h and you know, when tires get cold and old, it's very easy to puncture them and I just wanted to check that everything was in order.”

The next round will be Miami, where for now Red Bull has won on two out of two occasions: “Yes, it should be a good race for us. Usually it's a little easier with the strategy, but it's still a pretty difficult track, so I'm excited. It's always a pretty crazy weekend, so it's going to be very busy.”