Verstappen praises 'super' Red Bull strategy in Singapore

Max Verstappen believes that he was able to overcome a few technical issues to finish second in the Singapore Grand Prix this past weekend due to the "super strategy" implemented by his Red Bull team during the action at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

In the opening lap, Verstappen was bettered by Vettel who burst ahead to take second. However, a strategic pit stop allowed Verstappen to come out and eventually overcome the Ferrari driver to finish second to Lewis Hamilton.

The Dutchman thinks this strategy is what allowed him to overcome Vettel, but admits that the pit didn't immediately go to plan as he came out as the car changed gear when he headbutted the steering wheel!

“I head-butted the steering wheel when I drove off, because the car was stalling," Verstappen said to Ziggo Sport’s Peptalk.

"With the impact, I hit the gear paddle and the car went into second gear. Then I had to put it back into first gear, but the car wasn’t performing well in first gear. The car then kept rocking till it hit 60 km/ph. After that all was fine. The team had a super strategy and it worked perfectly to retake second place.”

When asked whether he was happy with his performance over the weekend, Verstappen responded positively, saying he felt good during the race, even if he had some engine issues to contend with.

"The entire weekend went well," the 20-year-old continued.

"The car performed well and I was in good spirits at the track, so that worked out pretty fine.

“It was difficult given the problems with the engine. We needed to make sure that we kept our chin up and we did that well. You also need to make sure that you always make the best of things.

"I wasn’t worried that the engine would break down, because we knew where the problems were and you need to deal with them as best as possible.”

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