Verstappen avoids Imola chaos on way to "very challenging" victory
Verstappen avoids Imola chaos on way to "very challenging" victory
Max Verstappen admitted it was “very challenging” to cope with wet conditions, a drying track and a race stoppage after he held steady to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen forced his way past pole-sitting rival Lewis Hamilton when the race was started in wet conditions and managed the race perfectly to finish 22 seconds ahead of the Mercedes driver.
Verstappen said: “It was very challenging out there, especially in the beginning. It was very hard to stay on track, to be honest, it was very slippery, and then with the tyres degrading in the wet.
“I surprised myself [off the line]. Last year we struggled a little bit off the line but last year we worked really hard to make it better, as you saw a little bit in Bahrain but now in these tricky conditions I think we did a great job.
“I chose the right moment to go onto slicks. It’s never easy. I think we managed everything well. I had a little moment in my restart, but everything else went really well so I felt very happy with that.”
Verstappen almost threw away his opportunity ahead of the rolling restart while driving behind the safety car and admitted: “It was a little moment when I was trying to warm up with the throttle but luckily we didn’t spin.”
He missed out on drawing level with Hamilton in the championship after his rival set the fastest lap of the race to snatch a point and stay one point ahead, but Verstappen added: “It’s a long season, so we have to stay calm.”
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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