Max Verstappen reflects on a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who has previously dominated at Red Bull’s home circuit, was eliminated in the first round by Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. After the race, he was notably calm about the incident. Verstappen was primarily focused on his own GT3 team, which was making waves at the 24 Hours of Spa concurrently with the Austrian GP.
“To be honest, I didn’t really follow the rest of the race; I was watching the 24 Hours of Spa,” Verstappen responded to the press in Spielberg. On the Belgian asphalt, his Verstappen.com Racing team, with Thierry Vermeulen, Chris Lulham, and Harry King, drove to the final victory in the Gold Cup. “I was very nervous,” Verstappen admitted. “Also because we were on our last track limits warning. And yes, to then finish ninth and of course win our class. I think we can be very proud of that, especially considering it was our first participation.”
Verstappen.com Racing benefited from the retirement of the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo driven by Dean MacDonald, Louis Prette, Frederik Schandorff, and Adam Smalley. With just eight minutes left on the clock, the then-leader in the Gold Cup had to withdraw due to a flat tire. The team of the Dutch Formula 1 champion inherited the lead position and achieved its first medal at Spa-Francorchamps.
