Verstappen reveals what he told Hamilton after maiden Ferrari win in Barcelona

On Sunday, Hamilton claimed his first Formula 1 win as a Ferrari driver. Verstappen personally congratulated the Brit right after the race. GPblog asked the Dutchman what he said to the race winner.

"Well done, congratulations," Verstappen said of his message to Hamilton. The four-time world champion understands well what the victory means for his former title rival. "It’s always super special to win. Even if you’ve already won so much. To win with Ferrari for the first time, I think it's always a special moment."

Verstappen’s own afternoon was far less successful. The Red Bull Racing driver finished fourth, only moving up to that position after Kimi Antonelli retired. The gap to the front was large, but that didn’t come as a surprise to Verstappen. The Dutchman had struggled all weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and saw the same problems resurface in the race.

According to Verstappen, Red Bull didn’t perform well on any tire compound: "We were just a little bit off on all the compounds. And the strategy that we did was good. I think I had the right tyres actually from everyone. Just the hard tyres didn't feel good. Just a little bit off on all of them."

Barcelona also confirmed, according to Verstappen, where Red Bull still has work to do at the moment. Although the high-speed corners drew a lot of attention beforehand, the Dutchman sees another recurring issue: "I think for sure a little high speed, but that was not even a qualifying big problem. It's just high energy tracks, high deg. That's where we seem to lack still."