6 mei 2024 om 00:39 Update: 3 uur geleden
Max Verstappen reacts soberly to his second place at the Miami Grand Prix. The Dutchman would have liked to win the race, but had to admit that for a change he did not have the fastest car last weekend.
“It was disappointing, but we also have to be realistic. We just didn’t have the speed,” said Verstappen, who saw his good friend Lando Norris take his first Grand Prix victory. “But if someone other than me has to win, let it be Lando.”
Verstappen had started from pole, but had to hand the lead to Norris after the safety car came on track for a crash between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen. The three-time world champion saw Norris disappear over the horizon.
“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, everyone who races is used to that,” Verstappen continued. “It was difficult today. The car felt good on the mediums, but not great. We drove away a bit, but not like normal.”
“When we made the pit stop and I heard the lap times of the McLarens, I already knew that they were very fast. When they had the hard tire on the car, they were simply faster than us. Lando in particular was flying. “
Although he was in the lead for quite some time, Verstappen continually struggled. “It was incredibly difficult for us. But if you come second on a bad day, it’s still not bad. I’m happy for Lando, it was a long time coming. And I’m sure it won’t be his last victory. He deserved the victory today.”
Missing out on victory not due to safety car
According to Verstappen, missing out on the win is not due to the unfavorable timing of the safety car. “Without the safety car, I think it would have been a fight to the end. I crossed the finish line seven to eight seconds behind Lando, but I would have been at least that far ahead if the safety car had not come onto the track. On the other hand, They were also faster than us after that. So yeah, it just wasn’t our day.”
Verstappen, who won four of the first five races, cannot explain why his car did not work optimally. “I had understeer and then oversteer again. I just had very little grip. We have to understand where that comes from.”
“I hope this is not McLaren’s true speed,” Verstappen looked ahead. “They came up with a major update and it seems to work well. So we have a lot of work to do. This was certainly not our strongest weekend, but we will try to come back stronger.”
The Formula 1 season will continue in two weeks in Imola, Italy, with the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna.
