Verstappen insists 'I should have won' in Saudi Arabia

Harry Smith
Tuesday 21 March 2023 12:39 - Updated: 12:40

Max Verstappen has aired his frustrations following a weekend of missed opportunities at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was imperious throughout the weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, topping the timing tables throughout all three free practice sessions.

It looked as though Verstappen’s dominance would translate over into qualifying on Saturday too after the reigning champion ended Q1 over four-tenths up on his team-mate and nearest rival, Sergio Perez.

The smiles in the Red Bull garage didn’t last much longer though as a driveshaft issue forced Verstappen out of the car at the start of Q2, ending his qualifying participation and leaving team-mate Checo to snatch the second pole position of his career.

Sunday's recovery was rather straightforward for the two-time champion, who cut through the pack to secure yet another Red Bull 1-2, in spite of a late reliability scare.

Verstappen: We ended up limiting the damage

Speaking with Viaplay after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen lamented: "We have to do better as a team, we can't have these problems.

"It would have been a completely different race for me.

"We ended up limiting the damage a bit."

Verstappen wasn't content with his second-placed finish though.

"But here I should have won.

"Everyone in the team is happy, but I'm not here to finish second."

READ MORE: F1 is for everyone – stop gatekeeping and make room for all