Despite battling for victory in the final stages of the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was already pleased with his second-place finish. “A fine performance. And it’s eighteen points more than last year,” he said.
As a result of this race, he had to relinquish the World Championship lead for the first time in 1029 days. Winning the Grand Prix was a step too far: Lando Norris was too fast. “I got close towards the end of the race because Lando made a mistake in turn 6,” Verstappen explained. “But overtaking in Melbourne remains challenging.”
Therefore, Red Bull had to try something tactical, for instance, to outsmart McLaren. This is why Verstappen continued to race in the rain at one point, while Norris went into the pits. Verstappen said, “We decided to stay out, you have to try something. It was worth the gamble.”
It didn’t lead to victory, but the reigning world champion didn’t mind. “If we had done it differently, I would have still finished second. This is a good start to the season,” he said, especially considering that Verstappen had dropped out in Melbourne the previous year. Hence, the eighteen points more than back then.
