Verstappen describes Belgian GP near-miss when rain hit

Max Verstappen has described the hair-raising moment at Eau Rouge that nearly cost him victory during the Belgian Grand Prix.

After his first pit stop rain hit the track after 20 laps, but it was not intense enough to switch to wet tyres.

The Dutchman was on Medium tyres when a few drivers behind elected to switch to gripper Soft tyres in the tricky conditions.

The slippery track made things worse at Eau Rouge, where Verstappen nearly lost the rear of his Red Bull before correcting it when he reached Raidillon.

Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com: "That’s probably not the best place to go sideways but luckily nothing happened.

"Of course, also, with the new, like the changes through there, you have a little bit more run-off, but it’s still not a nice corner to have a moment."

When asked what he was thinking when it happened, he responded: "A swear word!"

Verstappen reveals fear starting in the midfield

Much of the running throughout the weekend was interrupted by the rain, with the majority of practice taking place in conditions only suitable for wet tyres.

This meant a lot of the teams did not have enough dry running to determine the best strategy, with some including Ferrari being marginal on fuel.

"There were a few unknowns. I think, also, the first stint [I had] probably a bit too much understeer in the car trying to follow," said Verstappen.

"But honestly, if I would have to do it again, I wouldn't really change a lot on the car. So I guess we nailed it pretty much."

Verstappen managed to clear four cars in the first nine laps, before setting his sights on teammate Sergio Perez.

He revealed his biggest fear starting from sixth on the grid: "You just have to wait and see what happens in front of you. I mean, once you're clear through lap one, then basically you can just settle in and work your way forward."