Verstappen: "We tried to stay close, but they could always answer"

After a hectic afternoon on the circuit of Bahrain, Verstappen goes home satisfied with a podium place. However, on a day when Formula 1 has averted a potentially fatal accident, the end result is only secondary.

Grosjean's crash

"It was scary. We saw a red flag and that doesn't mean it's something bad. We saw a lot of fire, but fortunately he is OK and he is recovering quickly," said Verstappen after the race.

Just not enough in the race

"We just missed a little. We tried to stay close, but they could always answer. We weren't aggressive enough with strategy and then we had slow pit stops. It is what it is," the Dutchman continues.

Verstappen doesn't expect things to go much better on the Outer Circuit next weekend. "Normally not with the extra straights. But the car seems to work very well here. So maybe we can find some pace with the extra corners on the other track," concludes the 23 year old driver.

This article was written and originally published on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.