Flawless Verstappen Shines in Qatar GP Chaos

Max Verstappen hailed Red Bull’s improvements after surging from eighth in the Sprint to secure victory in the Qatar Grand Prix.

Unflappable Max Verstappen. In a Qatar Grand Prix riddled with incidents and numerous safety car appearances, the four-time Formula 1 world champion delivered a flawless performance to claim his ninth victory of the season.

After overtaking George Russell at the start, the Red Bull driver never relinquished the lead, maintaining a sufficient gap over Lando Norris while expertly managing all race restarts—though he nearly got caught out during one of them. As the Dutchman acknowledged, keeping his rival’s McLaren F1 in his mirrors was no easy feat.

“It’s never simple. I think during the first stint, Lando was right behind me, with the gap fluctuating between 1.6 and 1.9 seconds, which meant I couldn’t afford a single mistake. Neither of us made any, and we were just pushing flat out at one point. Honestly, it was very enjoyable to drive because, of course, in most races, the tires degrade, and you have to manage many things. Here, it felt like we could push a bit harder, and I really like the track layout. The grip on the surface is very good. So yes, it was a great stint.”

“For most of the first stint, I felt pretty good in the first two sectors. But in the final sector, I think Lando had already started pushing harder right from the start of the race, while I was probably managing a bit more. At some point, of course, he tried to close the gap, and I had to push harder in the final sector. But I think he was still very quick in the last corner, which was a bit of a weakness for us, even in qualifying. So yes, it balanced out throughout the lap, almost every lap.”

“Then, of course, the second stint was a bit more disjointed with the safety cars, and tire temperatures were very tricky because my mid-race restart wasn’t particularly good. I tried something different, but the grip… the tires were too cold, so I kept sliding and lacked traction. It wasn’t ideal. Apart from that, the pace was good. It’s been a while since we had a dry race like this, so I’m very happy with the improvements we made compared to the start of the weekend.”

One of Red Bull’s “most significant” weekend improvements

After securing a modest eighth place in Saturday’s Sprint, Verstappen didn’t necessarily expect to win the Grand Prix the following day. However, the 2024 world champion still expects more from his F1 car, reminiscent of what it allowed him to achieve in 2023.

“In recent dry races, we haven’t been very strong in tire management. That’s why I was a bit cautious after qualifying. But yes, it’s good. I mean, it’s not yet where I’d like it to be in terms of car behavior compared to, let’s say, last year. But at least now, you know, we’re back in the fight to win races. So, if we can learn from this year’s car, take the positives from last year, and try to build a better car, I’m sure we can be very competitive again next year.”

Still, the Dutch driver acknowledges this as one of his team’s most impressive improvements over a single weekend.

“It’s probably one of the most significant, yes, when you go from fighting Haas in the Sprint to fighting for victory in the main race. So yes, there’s been a big change in performance.”

Verstappen believes the FIA faced a “tough decision”

When Alexander Albon lost his mirror on the start/finish straight, it was surprising that race control didn’t act more quickly to clear the debris, which ultimately led to chaos on track with multiple punctures. What is the weekend winner’s take on the issue? Should a safety car, or at least a virtual one, have been deployed immediately?

“To be honest, I struggled to see what it was. I didn’t even know it was a mirror. Of course, I saw the debris, but we’ve had races where there’s been some debris off the racing line. It’s a tough decision to make. But I think at some point, a car drove over it. And then, of course, pieces of carbon fiber were flying everywhere. I don’t know the exact cause of the punctures, but that’s maybe something to analyze. For now, it’s a bit hard for me to give a definitive opinion on the matter.”

The FIA, which had a busy Sunday, also handed Lando Norris a ten-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow under double yellow flags, effectively sealing Verstappen’s victory in the process. The Red Bull driver, much like in Brazil, avoided such mistakes, displaying a perfect handling of these situations. He even prompted the FIA via radio to investigate, which proved effective.

“I lifted because I saw the double yellow flags. And I know, of course, that if I hadn’t lifted, there would have been an immediate investigation. So, you’re on it. I mean, yes, I asked if he had lifted because he had DRS, I believe, thanks to a backmarker at the same moment. And then, of course, when we exited Turn 1, I saw he was much closer. So, I asked the team to check. I mean, it was just a normal question. And I know race control is very strict about double yellow flags.”