Verstappen: “You had to constantly stay on your toes”

Max Verstappen was unsurprisingly elected Driver of the Day at the German GP. The pilot Red Bull offered Hockenheim its second success of the season in the space of three races at the end of a crazy race where many contenders fell.

However, the seven-time Grand Prix winner also had some down times, making several mistakes. Starting on the front row, the Red Bull driver missed his start but managed to stay in the leading group. The Dutchman also saved his RB15 despite a spin which could have had serious consequences.

“The start was not sensational because I had no grip, but I stayed focused trying to follow the Mercedes, recognized the Dutchman. But we always made the right choice in terms of tires and I was lucky to do a 360 without hitting anything. I was able to quickly escape while preserving my tires once in the lead. We were able to avoid problems for most of the race. »

Max Verstappen readily admits that this event was a particularly tricky challenge for the drivers. He now finds himself 22 points behind Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) who went off the track while aiming for the podium.

“It was a very difficult race, you had to constantly stay on your toes, he clarified on Sky Sports. My switch to slick tires was difficult to manage because the track was still very slippery. I had pace on the intermediate tires and could get into a good rhythm when the track was clear in front of me. I was able to preserve my tires when I found myself in the lead being chased by a Toro Rosso and a Racing Point. It makes life a little easier, even if we had to stay very focused because many made mistakes like Bottas (Mercedes) for example... It's in any case a perfect day and great motivation for the future. »

His teammate Pierre Gasly was less successful. In the fight for 6th place against Alexander albon (Toro Rosso), the Frenchman retired at the end of the race by hitting the rear of the STR14. The investigation was closed, to the great joy of the Thai.

Discover the analysis of the German GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2227 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.