The second race of the season, on the very fast and treacherous Gedda track, was won by Max Verstappen. The Red Bull Dutchman took his first win of the season after retiring in the opening GP of the championship in Bahrain. The reigning world champion beat the Ferrari driver at the end of a stupendous duel Charles Leclerc, still at the top of the world championship standings. Third place on the finish line for the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. David Coulthard interviewed the top three.
Max Verstappen (1st, Red Bull): “Battle was very close up front. We tried to play it in the long run. They were very fast in the corners, we in the straight. But the tires degrade quite quickly here and it turned out that we had a little more pace at the end. I tried to pass, it wasn’t easy and he did a little trick on me at the last corner. But in the end I managed to get through. But even after that he was constantly in the DRS zone. Then there was the yellow flag in the final laps and you have to understand how much to lift his foot. That was also difficult. In the end, however, we gave a new start to our season. DRS strategy? When you get close with these new machines you still manage to have a good exit. This, however, makes it more complicated to make the passage of the last corner compared to last year. So it is more complicated to ‘plan’ overtaking“.
Charles Leclerc (2nd, Ferrari): “Strategy on the DRS? It was smart, but it wasn’t enough today. But I really enjoyed this race. In the end, they are battles fought, hard and fair. All competitions should be like this. I’m disappointed of course, but it was fun. I wanted to but something was missing. We had two different configurations between me and Max, and also with Checo. We were fast in the corners but slow in the straight due to the downforce. So it was difficult for me to keep Max behind on the straight. He did a great job and won. There has always been mutual respect, especially after a race like this. We pushed to the absolute limit, taking risks. Obviously there is respect. But I’m a bit disappointed ”.
Carlos Sainz (3rd, Ferrari): “Close battle with Checo at the exit of the pits. He had bad luck with the Safety Car, but the rules are the rules. I was ahead of the SC line, that was my position. At that point I had to try to keep third position. After the Safety Car, with cold tires, the Red Bulls flew. They put a lot of pressure on us. For me this race was a step forward compared to Bahrain, I found more pace. But there are still tenths to be found. But I’ll get there eventually“.
#Verstappen #Charles #tricks #FormulaPassionit