Max Verstappen "decided to bring it home" in P4 after VSC in Baku
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen is realistic about his P4 finish, saying that he couldn't push for a podium finish at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix anymore after the Virtual Safety Car.
Verstappen was once again doing a very nice job of managing his tyres, pulling off a very long run on the medium tyres with terrific pace. The Dutchman held the fastest lap for a long time before Charles Leclerc eventually took it at the end, but Verstappen did finish above the Monegasque.
The 21-year-old was gaining on Sebastian Vettel in P3 in the latter stages of the race, but a Virtual Safety Car meant that he couldn't charge anymore, Verstappen explained.
"I lost a bit of time behind Perez but you don't want to risk it in lap one," he told Sky Sports F1 about his start, where he lost P4 temporarily to Sergio Pérez.
"Afterwards the pace we showed on the medium tyre was good because up until the VSC we were catching like seven or eight seconds.
"But after the VSC we just didn't have the grip or tyre temperature and that's key around here. I couldn't push anymore so decided to bring it home."
This could also be because the RB15 of his teammate Pierre Gasly had come to a standstill, with an engine failure. Either way, another P4 finish for Verstappen, his third P4 in a row.