2023-07-09 20:37:39
Max Verstappen flies from success to success: In Silverstone he was able to secure his 43rd GP victory, the eighth in ten races this season. And his racing team has matched McLaren’s Formula 1 record from 1988 – eleven consecutive GP victories (ten from the 2023 season, plus the World Cup final in 2022).
It wasn’t a walk in Silverstone for the 25-year-old Dutchman. «My start was bad, we have to take our time to look at that. After that it wasn’t easy to overtake Lando Norris, McLaren was very fast this weekend.”
Verstappen showed the patience and toughness of a champion, pushed past Norris, then the 2021 and 2022 world champion drove just as fast as he had to, but – so the impression – not as fast as he could.
Verstappen looks back on his first victory at the British Grand Prix: “At the start, the wheels spun far too much. When this happens to you, you lose so much propulsion that you become fair game for an opponent. I then had to be careful to keep everything under control behind Lando, especially since Oscar Piastri got pretty bold from behind into Copse. Luckily I was able to keep him behind me.”
“It took me a few laps to work my way up to Lando. After taking the lead, I had to take extreme care of my tires. I had to let them cool down without getting caught by Norris, tricky thing.”
“Then I found a nice rhythm and was able to slowly but steadily pull away from Lando. I was able to work out a time cushion of nine seconds up to the safety car phase.”
“Everything went according to plan at the front, but I have to admit that I was amazed by McLaren’s speed. Then came the safety car phase, and of course the discussion arose as to what we should do with the tire compound – soft or hard?»
“In the end, we opted for the soft tyre. I was convinced that this was the right choice. But after a few laps I realized how difficult it was to keep them in the best workspace that day. The distance to Lando remained constant, from the outside there wasn’t much to see. But in the cockpit it was completely different. It was not pleasant to have to deal with this mixture.”
“We will have to analyze that. At the moment I think the hard rollers would have been better because I could have made more speed with them.”
«What was also noticeable today: the wind was unpredictable, very gusty. That’s why I called the radio.”
How does Verstappen rate his opponents in this winning streak? “I find it all very confusing. Each time, a different team is our main opponent. I believe this is due to two factors. First, whether a team can get the most out of their car in terms of set-up and tire management; and secondly, whether a certain runway layout suits the car in question.”
“Against this background, I have no idea how things will continue at the Hungaroring. It’s a completely different track than Silverstone.”
Grossbritannien-GP, Silverstone Circuit
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:25:16,938 h
02. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +3,798 sec
03. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +6,783
04. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, +7.776
05. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +11,206
06. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +12,882
07. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, +17,193
08. Alex Albon (T), Williams, +17,878
09. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +18,689
10. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, +19,448
11. Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams, +23,632
12. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +25,830
13. Nico Hülkenberg (D), Haas, +26,663
14. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, +27,483
15. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Alfa Romeo, +29,820
16. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, +31,225
17. Nyck de Vries (NL), AlphaTauri, +33,128
Out
Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, collision damage
Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, engine failure
Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, Hydraulikdefekt
Championship status (after 10 of 22 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 255 points
02. Pérez 156
03. Alonso 137
04. Hamilton 121
05. Sainz 83
06. Russell 82
07. Leclerc 74
08. Stroll 44
09. Norris 42
10. Ocon 31
11. Plates 17
12. Gasly 16
13. Albon 11
14. Hulkenberg 9
15. Bottas 5
16. Zhou 4
17. Tsunoda 2
18. Magnussen 2
19. Sargeant 0
20. De Vries 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 411 Punkte
02. Mercedes 203
03. Aston Martin 181
04. Ferrari 157
05. McLaren 59
06. Alpine 47
07. Williams 11
08. Haas 11
09. Alfa Romeo 9
10. Alpha Tauri 2
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#find #confusing