Max Verstappen has asserted he was not frustrated by the late virtual safety car interruption which denied him a chance to attack Charles Leclerc for second place at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen was promoted to third place by sticking to a one-stop strategy on Sunday and went in pursuit of Leclerc for the runner-up spot.
The Dutchman cut several seconds out of the deficit and looked set to launch an attack on the final laps of the race.
However, the grand prix was neutralised by a virtual safety car, which was deployed when Carlos Sainz spun in the final sector.
Verstappen was forced to settle for third place, his lowest result in the last six races.
When asked if he was frustrated by the late virtual safety car, Verstappen told media including RacingNews365: “No, not really.
“I mean, sometimes the safety car has been very nice to me as well in my career. So sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
“It's how it goes in racing. It would have been fun, I think, to the end.
“Well, maybe a bit more fun for me than for Charles defending, but it would have been a fun ending, I think, for everyone to watch.”
Verstappen now sits 36 points behind the championship lead, which is being headed by Lando Norris following the McLaren driver's dominant victory in Mexico.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Sam Coop, Fergal Walsh and Nick Golding, as they look back on last weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix. Lando Norris' crushing victory is a lead talking point, as is Max Verstappen keeping himself firmly in title contention.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
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