Verstappen: victory was a matter of a long breath

“It was delicious”, Max Verstappen shouted over the radio after his magnificent victory in the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia. The Red Bull world champion trumped Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in an exciting battle on the narrow street circuit of Jeddah. The two dueled until the finish. “We fought hard and it was a matter of a long breath. It was not easy, but in the end it worked,” said the Dutchman after his 21st victory in a Formula 1 race.

Verstappen saw that Leclerc had more and more problems with his tires towards the end of the race, although he also noticed that the rubber was wearing out faster than he would have liked. “Then I finally got the chance to attack, but it was very difficult on the straight to estimate where I could pass. It was also very exciting, because when I had overtaken him, he could still get close behind me. I am very happy with the win, my season can really start now,” said the Dutchman, who retired three laps before the end in Bahrain’s opening race a week ago and did not score any points.