Verstappen after first race this year: 'Difficult to work your way up here'

In the race's early stages, Verstappen climbed to fifth place, but after about 10 minutes, he hit another car. The result? Losing precious time due to a spin. The Red Bull Racing driver had to continue the race from P11 and eventually crossed the finish line in eighth place, the maximum achievable according to himself.

"With the slipstream you have at Daytona, it is very difficult to work your way up to the front," Verstappen revealed afterwards. Despite settling for a place in the sub-top, the 26-year-old Limburger had a great time. "It was a nice race. I enjoyed it. This track is a cool track to drive on, thanks to that slipstream, though."

On Tuesday, the Real Racers Never Quit championship saw GT3 cars race at Daytona Road Course. F3 at Silverstone and F4 at Mugello are on the programme next week.