Verstappen: “I had to do it. I had to try to overtake or they were going to overtake me, so that’s what I did: overtake first. I had been studying Norris’ pattern for a couple of laps”
Max Verstappen he did not have enough pace in his Red Bull to challenge Kimi Antonelli and could not defend second place against a Charles Leclerc who performed better with his Ferrari in Austin. Finally, the Dutchman was third, and could even have finished fourth if it were not for a final virtual safety car that benefited him so that hamilton It wouldn’t be enough for him. But despite this, he once again left spectacular actions full of magic like the one he did at the moment in which Leclerc was attacking him, in lap 47.
Max Verstappen was behind Lando Norrisin third place, trying to attack the British McLaren. And there, Charles Leclerc it was positioned behind Verstappen’s rear wing with newer rubber and more pace. The Dutchman had a very difficult time defending himself from the Monegasque and, on the main straight, the Monegasque stuck to the Red Bull.
And when everyone thought that Max was going on the inside to defend himself from Leclerc, he surprised everyone with an inside braking that not only prevented Charles from passing him, but also helped him overtake Norris.
That is, he defended himself from another car by attacking another rival. Although later, when he was already second, Leclerc did not take long to pass him due to a pure difference in pace to snatch that second place from him.
And after the race, Verstappen explained his maneuver.
“I had to do it. I had to try to overtake or they were going to overtake me, so that’s what I did: overtake first”said the four-time world champion.
“I had already been studying Lando’s (Norris) pattern for a couple of laps and I knew that he was slow in the first corner. I knew that was my opportunity to attack,” he said on ‘DAZN’.
I had already been studying Lando’s (Norris) pattern for a couple of laps and knew that he was slow in the first corner. I knew there was my opportunity to attack
“It hasn’t been the day I wanted. Many things haven’t worked out for us. It’s been complicated. We have chosen things that were not appropriate and we have had problems with the engine brake, things that we will have to analyze“, he argued about his race and the lack of rhythm he had in his car.
“I think our overall pace wasn’t good enough and probably the tires we had weren’t suitable either. It is something that we have to analyze, because I think that in the last races we had always done well,” he added to the press.
