The podium after Silverstone
Having taken the lead at the Belgian GP immediately after the start, the four-time world champion Max Verstappen had to yield to the return of Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Les Combes already during the first lap, with the Red Bull driver not occupying the top of the standings from that moment on. A race that ended with a positive result for #3 nonetheless, who with the third place finish collected his third podium in a season so far full of difficulties, moreover two weeks after the Silverstone crash that sparked market rumors.
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Two stints and the Virtual Safety Car
A race that Verstappen summed up between the first and second stint, with the addition of the Virtual Safety Car that played in favor of Leclerc’s Ferrari, who rose to the top of the standings before being overtaken by Antonelli, winner of his sixth GP: “I tried everything possible in the race – he commented right after the GP – the first stint was not bad. The second stint was probably more difficult. At the same time, I think Kimi and I were a bit unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car. I believe that for us being on the podium is a great result. I gave everything I had and I think third place is a good result“.
A podium that is not enough
To these statements Verstappen added others to Sky Sport F1, considering how necessary it is to solve certain problems despite the satisfaction for the podium: “I had some balance issues in the second stint, so I couldn’t really push at the start. I tried to find a bit more rhythm towards the end, but there was a rather quick change from front to rear. I felt more competitive in the first stint. We made good progress, but we still have too many problems. Surely it’s positive to get on the podium for us anyway and I’ll take it“.
