Verstappen smiles after first podium of the season: 'Racing at the front is always better'

Max Verstappen claimed his first podium of the season in Canada. After a chaotic race, the Red Bull Racing driver managed to stay out of trouble and finish P3. After the race, Verstappen said he really enjoyed the race in Montreal.

"I had some cool battles out there and racing back up front is always better, right? For us to have our first podium is really positive. I am happy with that. Cool battle with Lewis at the end," said a smiling Verstappen.

"In a weekend when it's not that easy to get things right, to be on the podium is extremely positive. We need to keep improving better than our opposition. That's our target. We will see what we can do over the coming races," the Dutchman said about how Red Bull can keep up with Mercedes and Ferrari.

The Canadian Grand Prix was full of chaos and unexpected moments. After a aborted start due to Arvid Lindblad’s car stalling, the McLarens on intermediate tires had to pit early. Then George Russell retired after a tough fight with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen was able to capitalize on all this chaos and stayed out of trouble. After a long battle with Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman eventually finished P3.

The atmosphere in the cooldown room reflected just how intense the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen had been during the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver admitted he had struggled to find a way past his old rival despite repeatedly piling on the pressure, while Verstappen explained that Hamilton had been gaining significant time through the middle sector before the Dutchman managed to claw it back on the straights.

The discussion then shifted towards the traffic Hamilton encountered late in the race, with Verstappen acknowledging how costly it had been for the seven-time world champion. Hamilton appeared frustrated in particular by the loss of time behind backmarkers, also questioning whether Ferrari had been suffering from excessive drag or simply lacked straight-line speed compared to the Red Bull.

Verstappen ultimately praised Hamilton’s pace through Turn 6, highlighting one of the key areas where the Ferrari driver had consistently impressed throughout the race. It was precisely those small margins and details that allowed Hamilton to remain firmly in contention until the closing laps and helped produce one of the most entertaining battles of the afternoon.