Verstappen attacked by McLarens: 'They made it very difficult'

381fed36b9ffd6d22f017fa67ef78350e85524dc

12:52, 29 Jun 2024

Tim Kraaij is Editor-in-Chief of GPblog.com and a Formula 1 analyst. With permanent FIA accreditation and direct access to the paddock, he delivers in-depth, data-driven analysis and insight into key developments within the sport.

Max Verstappen has won the sprint race in Austria. The Dutchman outsmarted Lando Norris in a duel and eventually also held off the other McLaren driver. After the sprint race, Verstappen commented on his race.

"It was a good first lap but once the DRS opens, it was very hard to get out of it. A few exciting battles as well but once we cleared the DRS, I could do my own race and it was better," Verstappen revealed after the sprint race.

Verstappen faster than the McLarens

''You could see they had two cars pushing flat-out trying to make it difficult for me. A few things to think about we can do better for tomorrow because it's a longer race and harder for the tyres."

Asked about the 'clipping' problems with the engine, Verstappen stated: "It's because they have the DRS, of course you are using a bit less energy naturally they spend less time on the straight catching up to me. I think once they were out, I could go back to my normal management, and then everything was fine again."

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	292
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	211
3	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	191
4	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	186
5	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	167
6	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	145
7	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	120
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	71
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	59
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	41
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	31
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	27
13	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	10
15	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	7
16	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
17	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
18	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
19	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	3
20	Yuki Tsunoda Yuki Tsunoda	Racing BullsRCB	1
21	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
23	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0

Verstappen attacked by McLarens: 'They made it very difficult'

Verstappen faster than the McLarens

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