Verstappen jokes "staying awake" was his hardest task in Turkish GP

Max Verstappen finished the Turkish Grand Prix in second place and with that the Dutchman is satisfied. Valtteri Bottas was simply too fast in his Mercedes and so Verstappen has maximized in his own opinion.

"It wasn't easy today, there was little grip on the asphalt," Verstappen told David Coulthard in an initial reaction on the grid. "We had to manage the tyre the whole race. It seemed like Valtteri had a bit more pace and could look after the tyres a bit better as well. However, I am still happy to finish second because in these conditions you could make mistakes."

What was the trickiest phase of the race at Istanbul Park? "Staying awake," jokes the new World Championship leader. "It was all about tyre management. You could only push in the last laps before the pit stop, but I'm happy with the podium."

Red Bull in Austin

Verstappen is also looking ahead to the next Grand Prix. This will take place in the United States in two weeks. "It's been close [with Mercedes] all year. I think it's been very close the whole year. In Austin, it will be a good battle with Mercedes. We need to keep pushing to improve," added