Verstappen reveals he has 'deliberately held back' this season: 'I'm not going to drive like that for seventh'
Verstappen made an unusual comparison after his podium (Photo: Race Pictures)
16:00, 07 Sep
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Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Max Verstappen has admitted that he has deliberately held back on multiple occasions this season due to issues with his Red Bull car.
The Dutchman finished an excellent third place at the Italian Grand Prix, despite repeatedly venting his frustrations with his car across the course of the weekend. At one point he described his Red Bull as "slow as a Fiat Punto" and also described that his car was "made of paper" in one particular complaint over the radio.
Verstappen has struggled with the bouncing and imbalance of his Red Bull car, while he has also been involved in a number of accidents, most notably at his home race at Zandvoort and at the British Grand Prix.
Speaking to the media during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, the four-time world champion said: "I've had it a few times this year where I deliberately held back, yes," he said. "We've had some issues this season.
"When you're racing for seventh place, I'm obviously not going to drive like [with a knife to the throat] when something might go wrong."
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Verstappen added: "With the rear wing, if you suddenly lose aerodynamic performance, that is dangerous."
Verstappen 'felt like a turtle' against Mercedes
Verstappen briefly led the Italian Grand Prix, but due to the nature of the track and the the current regulations, the Dutchman saw the Mercedes cars fly past him on Monza's straights.
Asked what it was like to keep fighting from that position, the four-time world champion told GPblog and others: “To be honest, it’s not really fun when people just drive past you like you’re a turtle.”
Still, Verstappen didn’t just accept it when he was overtaken. The Dutchman knew his RB22 had a strong point under braking during the Italian GP and used that to fight back against his rivals to the best of his ability.
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