Max Verstappen reveals 'IMPOSSIBLE' task to overtake one F1 driver

Max Verstappen

Verstappen reveals 'IMPOSSIBLE' task to overtake one F1 driver

It turns out that Max Verstappen does find it hard to overtake at least one of his F1 rivals this season

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Tuesday 1 August 2023 19:57

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Max Verstappen has admitted that it was 'impossible' to pass Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix, insisting that it was only after the Mercedes driver dropped out of DRS range that he could then overtake him.

Starting from P6 – owing to a five-place grid penalty for a pre-race gearbox change – Verstappen took just 17 laps to claim the lead.

The two-time world champion cruised past team-mate Sergio Perez and never looked back.

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The Dutchman would also pass Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on his way to victory, yet it turns out that overtaking his long-term F1 rival proved to be a much more challenging battle than first expected.

Verstappen: Passing Hamilton was impossible

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been long-term rivals in F1

He said: "I was a bit unlucky, because I got stuck behind Lewis, because he was in the DRS of Charles [Leclerc], and with them having the highest top speed, Lewis, this weekend, it was just impossible to pass.

"So I had to wait for him to drop out of the DRS and as soon as he didn't have DRS anymore, I could pass. And then I think two or three laps later, I could pass Charles.

"But with that, I think I hurt my tyres a bit too much. So basically, as soon as I had my stop on to the Medium, I could feel that the car was in a much better window and I could go a lot faster.

"So yeah, from there onwards that was really where it started to come alive."