Max Verstappen's father, Jos, has owned up to feeling a little enjoyment at seeing Lewis Hamilton lapped by his son during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. While Verstappen put in a dominant drive to lead the race throughout from pole position, Hamilton struggled home in 13th place after failing to make any sort of impact on the weekend. Although the W13 is clearly not at the same level as the Red Bull RB18 or the Ferrari F1-75 at this early stage of the season, George Russell managed fourth in the other Mercedes. With Verstappen lapping Hamilton on Lap 43 of 63, something that seemed unthinkable just a few months ago at the height of their titanic 2021 title battle, Jos admitted he got a kick out of the moment. "Honestly, I did enjoy seeing Max lap Hamilton, after everything that happened last year," Verstappen senior wrote on the Verstappen.com website. "Hamilton really had a tough time, whereas his teammate, George Russell, seemed to be more balanced. "It's not often you have the opportunity to lap a Mercedes."
Verstappen: Red Bull have become stronger
With Red Bull achieving their first 1-2 finish in six years, as Verstappen led home teammate Sergio Perez to claim maximum points, Jos pointed to the updates brought to the weekend as playing a role in making the team "stronger". "Max had an excellent weekend in Imola. I found him incredibly strong," he said. "He didn't make a single mistake, was solid and completely in control. "Red Bull clearly made a step in the right direction. Of course, we knew the car would get an upgrade in Italy, but with the weather conditions, it was hard to make a comparison. "But we can definitely conclude that we've become stronger." Jos explained that the ability of Red Bull to keep Ferrari under pressure resulted in the Scuderia having to push harder than they'd perhaps have liked. "Saturday, during the Sprint race, we saw the first glimpses of this," he commented. "Max caught up with Charles. It meant Ferrari had to push harder, forcing them to use the tyres more. "In Italy, Max and Red Bull put Ferrari under pressure, and when under pressure, it's easy to make a mistake. If you are effortlessly leading, that chance is a lot smaller. "It turned out to be a perfect weekend for Max."
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