The world champion after his triumph at the Spanish F1 GP: “I was very frustrated, then the end was fantastic. I have to thank Perez.” Russell: “I had fun against Red Bulls”
Luigi Perna
May 22, 2022 | 17:22 – 17:22
A painful and unexpected victory. Max Verstappen on the podium looks moved. Little smile, bright eyes. He hadn’t triumphed in the Spanish GP since 2016, the season of his first incredible F1 win with Red Bull, when he was just 18 years old. The retirement of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari paved the way for him. And the world champion took the victory home, ahead of teammate Sergio Perez and the Mercedes of George Russell, who after six races jumped to the top of the championship standings with a 7-point lead over Leclerc.
the way to verstappen
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The start of the race was a nightmare for Super Max. Leclerc held him off with great skill at the start, then the Dutchman spun at Turn 4, on lap 9, also finishing behind Perez and Russell. “Maybe it was a sudden gust of wind. I lost the rear of the car – explains Verstappen – and went off the track in the gravel.” But the troubles weren’t over yet. His Drs worked in fits and starts, making it harder to pass a Russell who was defending as a champion.
the red bull train
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Red Bull then decided to change strategy, calling Max into the pits for the second stop and clearing the way for Perez, who easily jumped to Russell instead. The decision helped Verstappen recover on soft tires compared to Russell and Perez. Until Checo, reached out, passed him off as a great team man. “We won thanks to the strategy – Verstappen continues -. I was very frustrated because the DRs didn’t work, but the finish was good. The car was fast on both soft and medium compounds.”
thanks perez
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After crossing the finish line, Max thanked Perez: “We did a great job as a team. And Checo was great.” He had already done it during the race and called out over the radio: Thanks, buddy!” The Mexican had to be content with the fastest lap: “It would have been a good fight if Max and I could have dueled (Actually, the Dutchman was ramping it up at a pace of 1″5 per fastest lap; Editor’s note: I was thinking about the title fight and Red Bull’s interests though”.
Russell emotion
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Russell in third place looks the happiest of the three. It put Mercedes on the podium for the umpteenth time, but the pace of the updated W13 with the latest developments was much more competitive than previous races. “I did everything I could to beat the Red Bulls – says Russell – and I’m sorry I couldn’t. But I enjoyed it. The last few laps were vital (Mercedes were struggling with the temperatures of the engines and asked him and Hamilton to slow down ;ed.). Luckily I had a good advantage over the others. If we have improved it is due to the great work of our men at Brackley. He also thanks Hamilton, author of a crazy one Comebacks from 19th to 5th, after the first contact caused by Magnussen, he wanted to retire to “keep the engine”, luckily the team told him no ….
May 22, 2022 – 5:22 p.m
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