Max Verstappen proud of his team's response to Imola

Starting from the front row of the grid, Max Verstappen managed to impose its Red Bull in front, there McLaren byOscar piastri arriving at the Tamburello chicane. The four-time world champion made a daring move to take the lead and set the pace for the following laps.

“The start itself wasn't great, but I was still on the right trajectory.”, he explained in the Parc Fermé. “So I thought I'd dive to the outside to see, and it went really well! It allowed us to drop our pace once we were in front, because the car was good and I could manage my tires. It's a huge improvement from Friday, and I'm happy about it.”

Verstappen's pride in his team

The Dutchman also had a bit of luck when the virtual safety car was deployed by race control before he pitted to change to hard tires. The presence of a real safety car late in the race could have changed the situation, but the number 1 driver managed his restart perfectly to win.

"The VSC really helped us make our pit stop, and even on the hard tyres I think our pace was very good. Of course there was the Safety Car after that with the field very close together, but I managed the restart well to bring the car back to the front. I'm very proud of everyone; it was an important week for us, and the car behaved very well. The execution of the whole race, the strategy, the pit stops, everything was very good."

Enjoy Imola before thinking about Monaco

After a more difficult start to the season for Red Bull, are the upgrades made at Imola the key to unlocking the RB21's full potential? We'll get another answer next week in Monaco. Verstappen isn't looking at it yet, however, as he's primarily looking to enjoy another success at Imola: “I love driving, racing in Formula 1 but also drive all kinds of racing cars. Next week we go to Monaco, a completely different circuit that offers a real challenge, but first I want to enjoy this moment and this victory."

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