Max Verstappen was full of praise for the Red Bull team after an inspired strategy call helped him en route to victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver secured an unexpected eighth win of the season after starting the race from 10th on the grid. Having made up places during the opening stint of the race, Verstappen's chances of victory were increased with an undercut for the final pit-stops. Pitting for Medium tyres, their early call encouraged Ferrari to pit Charles Leclerc for the unfavoured Hard tyres. The early stop meant he passed Carlos Sainz and George Russell during the pit-stops, but a 360-degree spin for Verstappen meant he had to pass Leclerc twice for the net lead of the race. Speaking after the race, Verstappen was asked if he had any thoughts about victory starting from the fifth row of the grid. "Not really! I was hoping that I could get close to a podium, but they were very tricky conditions out there," said Verstappen after the race. "I think we had a really good strategy, we were really reactive and always pitting at the right time. "I think we had some good out laps and, in the end, even with a 360 [spin], we won the race."
Verstappen gives insight into mid-race spin
Having made his first overtake on Leclerc immediately after the pit-stops, Verstappen was in the prime position to take the Hungarian GP win. However, a spin for the Red Bull driver put him back behind Leclerc, which threatened to derail his run to victory. Verstappen was forced to pass his championship rival once again and, from there, looked mostly untroubled in his run to the chequered flag. The Dutchman commented that he believed his spin was caused by a technical issue, rather than a tyre warm-up issue. "I was struggling a bit with the [gear] shifts and the clutch, and we had to change a few things around that to basically not burn out the clutch, and that cost us a bit of performance," added Verstappen. "I think that caught me out in that corner, but luckily I could do a full 360, so I only lost one spot."
Most read
