Verstappen hopes to be able to keep up with Mercedes: "They are not stupid"
F1 News
Max Verstappen recorded a podium by finishing third in the Portuguese Grand Prix, but the start was still very difficult. The Dutchman had a lot of trouble with his cold tyres and just kept out of trouble when Sergio Perez tried to overtake.
"I really don't know [with the grip], I was surprised myself to see it because I tried everything I could to warm them up on the formation lap. Normally I'm not that bad in the first lap," Verstappen told Sky Sports after the race. The incident with Sergio Perez pushes Verstappen towards the Mexican.
Verstappen blames to Perez
"We stayed out of trouble, but Perez tried to go around the outside and didn't give space so took himself off. Luckily he didn't damage my car. The race wasn't too bad, but the soft wasn't a good tyre. We just had a lot of wear and tear," says Verstappen, who does not want to speak of a bad strategy.
"We didn't do anything wrong with the strategy. If we had started on the mediums, Mercedes would have been faster too. At the end of the day P3 is just what we deserve, because Mercedes was clearly too fast. Of course, I hope we can catch up with them as soon as possible, but they are not stupid. We have a lot of good people, but so do they. It's great motivation for us to beat them," the Dutchman concluded.