Max Verstappen has defended Red Bull's "gamble" not to immediately pit late in the Australian Grand Prix, following a late "panic" caused by a rain shower. Verstappen started the season-opener from third but overtook Oscar Piastri at the second corner, before later falling back behind the Australian driver. He remained close to the McLaren duo, before capitalising on mistakes by both Norris and Piastri on Lap 44. Sudden heavy rain in the final sector saw Norris and Piastri run off the circuit and through gravel, causing Piastri to spin. Verstappen stormed past both drivers, before falling back behind Norris and into second after pitting for fresh intermediate tyres – Norris pitted for intermediates after going off the track. The four-time world champion applied significant pressure on Norris in the closing laps but was forced to settle for second to kickstart his title defence. "It was a difficult race, of course, but at the end, it was fun," said Verstappen. "Lando had a little moment on entry of Turn 6, so he lost a little momentum there. "So that's why I got close, and then I got the DRS, so I got close, but it's very hard to pass around here, but it was fun those last laps pushing at least, when you're fighting for the win. "But I'm just very happy to bring it home, score good points. And this is a, let's say, a decent starting point for us."
Verstappen's best opportunity of beating Norris and claiming victory in Melbourne was during the sudden rain shower in the closing stages. The Dutchman had great pace when rain was falling during the race; however, McLaren had a clear advantage when the rain stopped and the circuit dried. His eyes suddenly lit up when both Norris and Piastri went off the circuit, although conceded that the victory was still off the cards even if Red Bull did not pit him two laps after the Briton. "Yeah, I think also it started to rain a bit," added Verstappen. "They [the McLarens] went off, it was a bit like a panic, 'Oh, I need to box!' So they went in. "I stayed out the first lap and honestly, I think it was alright. But then, unfortunately, yeah, the weather continued a little bit more on the other side of the track as well. "And yeah, we then had to box. But I think at the end of the day, even if we would have boxed like one lap earlier or more, we would have still been P2 anyway after that stop. "So I think it was worth the gamble. It was quite spicy out there with the slick tyres, but it was the right idea."
Most read
