Verstappen explains why he defied Red Bull warning
Max Verstappen says he was confident managing his tyres while chasing the Mercedes pair during the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix which was why he pushed on despite Red Bull warnings.
Verstappen charged to victory thanks to impressive tyre management over his first stint on the hard compound Pirellis which allowed him to pull out an advantage over Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton after their first stops.
Opting for the alternative strategy by starting on the hard tyres, Verstappen knew his opening stint and tyre management would be crucial and after seeing the Mercedes duo struggling he started to close the gap which led to Red Bull warning him to drop back to look after his own tyres.
Verstappen responded over his team radio, "this the only chance of being close to the Mercedes, I'm not just sitting behind like a grandma" and duly kept the pressure on before the first pitstops.
After the race, the Dutch driver explained he was happy with his tyre management and could see the Mercedes drivers were suffering so he wanted to maximise his opportunity.
"I was already managing [my tyres] but their tyres were completely gone, I could see the tyres opening up," Verstappen said. "But it was also expected with these tyres especially on high fuel when the car is very heavy.
"But I didn't want to just sit behind like I have been doing in previous races all the time so once I had the opportunity to put a bit of pressure on I want to do that so I tried.
"I had a big moment once when I was close to Lewis in Turn 13, because it is really hard to follow even when I had the grip advantage.
"Then it got to the point where it was impossible for them to continue so they boxed and that is where my race started."
Verstappen also conceded he was wary of wrecking his own tyres while following Bottas and Hamilton but felt it wasn't an issue that would compromise his race strategy which was why he continued to push against Red Bull's advice.
"I hate sitting back especially when you see the car is pretty decent," he said. "Sometimes it can be a bit of suicide, killing your tyres and trying to hang on desperately but I don't think that was the case today."
Verstappen has moved up to second place in the Formula 1 world drivers' championship, ahead of Bottas, and is 30 points behind Hamilton at the top of the standings.
Share Or Save This Story
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
What made Red Bull so fast in the Azerbaijan GP after Max Verstappen’s qualifying issue
The Red Bull seat nobody is talking about – and why that's the biggest compliment of all
Max Verstappen responds to George Russell: "Maybe I should take him to the sauna!"
From "paper car" to pole in Malaysia – What's behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull's pace?
How Kimi Antonelli is proving unbeatable, even when he's beaten
“It’s a joke” – Isack Hadjar rues ‘disastrous’ race in “horrible” car with “no battery”
Explained: What was really going on with the FIA software bug causing F1 chaos in Malaysia
"Horrible, totally unacceptable" - Powerless F1 drivers frustrated by Bahrain F1 software glitch
WRC Sardinia: Elfyn Evans claims historic title after Oliver Solberg crashes in final-stage showdown
You Ask The Questions: Emerson Fittipaldi
The wide world of strategy options expected in F1's Bahrain GP in Malaysia
How drivers waiting in the wings can still make their presence count in F1
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments