Verstappen: "It's just a little bit painful not to have those points"

The win in Saudi Arabia came as a relief to Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, who experienced a disastrous opening weekend in Bahrain. Verstappen stressed that this did cause the team to start from a disadvantage and so they need to catch up with Ferrari.

Red Bull heaved a sigh of relief after Verstappen's victory, in which he beat Charles Leclerc in spectacular fashion. "Especially after Bahrain," says the Dutchman on the F1 Nation podcast.

Red Bull has a hole to fill

He continued: "We always knew we had a competitive car, but it's just a bit painful not to have those points. Now we are back on track, we just have some catching up to do."

With only two races left, there is more than enough time to close the gap to Ferrari, but if the Italian stable continues to come out so strong Red Bull will need that time as well. Ferrari currently has 78 points, more than double the points of Red Bull Racing. They are currently still one point behind Mercedes.