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.
