Max Verstappen sealed victory in Imola with authority, yet warns Red Bull may falter on Monaco’s tight, low-speed street circuit.
And the strongest of them all is Max Verstappen! Pulling off a bold yet brilliant move on Oscar Piastri at Turn 1, Max then controlled the race from the front in Imola.
The Dutchman was even fortunate with a virtual safety car that came at the perfect time for him, and the worst for Lando Norris.
“My initial launch wasn’t that amazing, but then Turn 2, fortunately, worked out pretty well for me,” said the Red Bull driver modestly in the post-race press conference.
“I think it was a bit like I started carrying a little more speed into the apex. And then at some point, you get this kind of momentum shift heading into Turn 3.”
“And then I knew I was ahead, but everything happens so fast. You have to be really precise, you know, to try not to go too far off line. But yeah, fortunately, the grip was okay there.”
It was probably one of Max Verstappen’s finest Turn 1 overtakes in recent years…
“Yes. I mean, I was quite far back. Just before braking, I was practically in third.”
“But of course, I was on the normal braking line, but I still had to come from quite far. And as soon as I braked late and released the brakes, I felt that, okay, maybe a move was possible.”
“So I just carried the speed on the inside. And fortunately, it stuck. It’s not an easy move to pull off, but luckily, everything went well.”
Improved Race Pace Thanks to Upgrades?
Still, many expected McLaren to have superior race pace compared to Red Bull. That wasn’t the case, Verstappen held off both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Even he was surprised.
“I was happy to be in front, but I still wasn’t entirely sure about our pace because, of course, I was also leading in Miami, but we didn’t have great pace there.”
“So I just tried to follow my own rhythm. I think the car was a bit nicer, a bit easier to drive now as well over the longer stints. And that helped me, I think, to manage the tyres better, probably more than usual.”
“Overall, it’s quite surprising, but of course, I’m very happy with what we showed. I just hope we can show this kind of performance a bit more often.”
Did Max Verstappen have no issues leading from the front?
“It’s bumpy. So yes, my back hurts quite a bit.”
With the virtual safety car, no driver made more than one stop. But could Max Verstappen have completed his one-stop strategy without that intervention?
“Yes, of course. I mean, that’s why we stayed out. I think Lando and I would’ve done one stop.”
Thanks in part to the upgrades brought by Milton Keynes for this weekend, Red Bull indeed increased its race pace, enough to control the McLarens.
So how can Red Bull’s race pace at Imola be explained in detail? Thanks to the upgrades or the nature of the circuit? What does Max Verstappen think?
“This track has quite a few high-speed corners, which our car enjoys. I also think we made a step forward with the car setup, which helps.”
And in Monaco? Could Max Verstappen Take Another Pole-Win Double?
His Imola victory and Red Bull’s race pace might suggest so, but the Dutchman urges caution.
In short, Red Bull performs well in high-speed corners, not so much in slow-speed ones. That’s bad news for Monaco!
“Monaco is, of course, very, very different. So let’s see how we perform there. You know, last year was very tough for us.”
“I don’t expect it to be much easier this time because there are, of course, a lot of low-speed corners, but we’ll see.”
“I mean, it’s just one race on the calendar where you try to do your best. Even after that, there are plenty more races, but of course, you can clearly see that once we go to tracks with high-speed corners, then we’re more competitive.”
“I think it’s very track-specific. Every time we’ve been really competitive, it’s been on high-speed tracks, high-speed corners.”
“We still have work to do, but it’s been a very positive weekend for us. Of course, we brought upgrades. I think they worked.”
“Friday was still very difficult, but then we found better settings for Saturday. And I just hope we can use that more often because it definitely put the car in a better window.”
“I love driving in Monaco, but it hasn’t been our strongest track with the car we have. But we’ll see what we can do.”
“Then we go to Barcelona, normally lots of high-speed corners, which is great. Lots of tyre degradation too, which will again be crucial to manage. And I don’t know yet how that will go for us.”
“But for now, just very happy with this weekend, and we’ll go from here.”
Does Max Verstappen Already Miss Imola… or Not?
Since 2021, every time F1 has raced at Imola, Max Verstappen has taken the win.
So it’s fair to assume the Dutchman is disappointed not to return to this circuit next year?
“Yes. I don’t know. I mean, I love driving here, but in the end, you’re always linked to what you get, right, with your car.”
“Now, in the last few years, our car has always worked really well here. Of course, before arriving this weekend, I didn’t really have high hopes that we could actually win a race here.”
“But then, from qualifying, the car was more competitive over one lap, and thankfully in the race as well…”
“Losing these kinds of tracks is a shame. I understand it from F1’s perspective, of course, the new venues we’re going to.”
“So yes, you have to look at it from both a sporting and financial point of view, right? If you want to grow the business and make it more popular, I get it.”
“For me, of course, personally, just talking about the joy of driving, it’s these kinds of tracks that made me fall in love with racing in the first place, even in karting, because you had the same thing, where some tracks are just more special than others.”
“And then, of course, when you started watching Formula 1, there were always those few tracks where you just… I don’t know, you watch the speeds, you see how difficult they are to master.”
“The sport’s history at certain tracks, you know, all of that is very special and adds a bit more emotion to things.”
“So yes, it’s definitely a shame for me personally, but what can I do?”
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