As Lewis Hamilton celebrated victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, much of the paddock talk was about Max Verstappen’s astonishing third place for Red Bull.
SHANGHAI: As Lewis Hamilton celebrated victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday (Apr 9), much of the paddock talk was about Max Verstappen’s astonishing third place for Red Bull.
The 19-year-old, whose aggressive driving has made him a Formula One fan favourite, blitzed through the field after starting in 16th on the grid, overtaking no fewer than nine cars on a dizzying first lap alone.
The young Dutchman unsurprisingly was named Driver of the Day after finishing behind only Hamilton’s Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari.
„Nine cars is quite a lot for one lap, but of course I’m very happy that it worked. That’s of course very positive especially after starting at 16. It was a great, entertaining race, “ he said.
When it was suggested to him that his first lap resembled something out of a video game, he replied: „More or less! It felt a bit like that. „
Verstappen, the son of former F1 driver Jos, called it one of the best races of his fledgling career and promised Red Bull would continue to push Mercedes and Ferrari.
„It was definitely one of the best, “ said Verstappen, who became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race at last year’s Spanish Grand Prix aged 18 years and 228 days.
