Verstappen second after P15 start: 'Wasn't very easy'

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reaction verstappen after race saudi arabia 2023
19 March 2023 at 18:40
  • GPblog.com

Max Verstappen was in second place in Saudi Arabia after 25 laps, helped by a safety car. The Dutchman still had half a race to close a six-second gap to Sergio Perez, but he failed to do so. The Red Bull Racing driver crossed the line in second place, but retained the lead in the World Championship thanks to the fastest race lap on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Perez and Verstappen have now both won one Grand Prix. The Mexican held the extra World Championship point until the last lap, but at the last minute his teammate snatched that point.

Afterwards, Verstappen said: "It wasn't very easy to get through the field. Through the first sector trying to follow was difficult was a lot of sliding around, but once I cleared them we got into a them I got in to a rhythm. Good to be on the podium.

There were some problems with the driveshaft again with the 25-year-old driver, but in the end he was able to finish the race. In the last few laps, Verstappen also took some throttle back. "We had a big gap to the car behind and a decided to call it a day and settle for second, which I feel was a good result starting from P15."

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