Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen detailed his struggles to bring the win home at Imola as McLaren’s Lando Norris pursued, nearly ending up “in the grandstand” on his hard tyres.
During the initial phase of the race, Verstappen managed to create a substantial lead over Norris, who emerged as the victor of the Miami GP. Both drivers were using medium tires. However, when they switched to hard tires for the second and last part of the race, Norris, driving for McLaren, became incredibly competitive and gradually reduced Verstappen’s advantage.
Max Verstappen ‘almost ended up in the grandstand’
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
At the final stages of the race, Norris closely trailed Verstappen, yet Verstappen managed to maintain his lead and secure his fifth victory of the season. Norris finished just seven-tenths of a second behind him at the finish line.
Verstappen would confirm that he was not enjoying life on the hard Pirelli compound, as he just tried to “survive” to the end with Norris smelling blood.
Verstappen expressed his thoughts on the challenging final laps during an interview with the media, including PlanetF1.com. He stated, “I have to say, the race went surprisingly well for us on the mediums. Considering our performance throughout the weekend, I didn’t anticipate such impressive pace.”
However, we could have managed to maintain the balance somehow, which made it feel really pleasant.
“After switching to the hard tyres, things took a turn. Initially, it wasn’t too bad, perhaps for the first five to 10 laps. However, afterwards, I started doubting if I could finish the race. The tyres seemed to lose their effectiveness, making it feel like driving on ice. The grip was gone, especially noticeable at Turn 7 where I almost ended up in the grandstand. It was a challenging situation, to say the least.”
“It was quite challenging, with some truly peculiar lines that I had to navigate. In those final 10 laps, I was really struggling to manage the tires and then all of a sudden, Lando significantly accelerated.”
Yeah, I was able to spot him catching up, no doubt. I wasn’t certain if I could maintain my lead, but I was giving it my all, exerting maximum effort with the limited traction I had. Fortunately, I managed to hold on for just the right amount of laps.
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When asked about the specific problem causing his difficulties with the hard tyre, Verstappen replied, “I simply couldn’t manage to make the tyres function properly. It seemed like they were not functioning within the appropriate temperature range.”
“And the situation continued to deteriorate. Consequently, the last 15 laps felt akin to driving on ice, with no response from the car. This is something we need to assess and analyze.”
This latest triumph marked Verstappen’s third victory in a row at Imola.
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