Max Verstappen secured a fifth-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps today. Despite the result, the Dutch driver reflects positively on the race and defends his Mexican teammate, stating, “His weekend was, in my view, positive.”
The reigning world champion, after the Belgian Grand Prix, asserts that Red Bull maximized their potential. “Starting from P11, my main goal was to limit the damage. Looking at the championship, it was a positive day. I managed to extend my lead, which could have gone differently.”
Without the grid penalty, Verstappen acknowledges that more could have been possible in Belgium. “If you start from P1 with the pace I had, you’re definitely in the running for the win.”
However, there’s still work to be done for the Milton Keynes team. “We need to analyze some things and see what we can do with the car for the second half of the season. I hope we can make it faster, which would make things easier for all of us,” says Verstappen.
The Future of Pérez
What about Sergio Pérez? Did he experience any hindrance when the Mexican was driving right in front of him and seemed to be holding him up? “No, he was also just running his own race. We made the right choice in that regard, and it wouldn’t have made much difference to me if he had moved aside earlier.”
There has been a lot of talk and speculation about his teammate potentially having his last race for Red Bull. “Our first concern is the car; that’s what we need to focus on right now,” Verstappen deflects the question. “In my view, Checo’s weekend was positive.”
Finally, a brief look ahead to the Dutch GP. What can Dutch fans expect from him? “I don’t have a penalty in Zandvoort, so hopefully, it will be a normal race weekend. If you start in the top five again, you get a completely different race progression than what happened today.”
