Max Verstappen has elucidated his late-race jitters en route to a commanding victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, expressing that his Red Bull performed flawlessly, allowing him to control it effortlessly. Verstappen remarked, “The car was on rails, and I could do whatever I wanted with it.”
The Dutch driver clinched a tumultuous Chinese Grand Prix following two virtual safety car periods swiftly transitioning into full safety car deployments. Despite the interruptions, Verstappen adeptly managed both restarts, swiftly reestablishing his lead after losing his initial 25-second advantage.
Opting for fresh hard tires during the first safety car period triggered by Valtteri Bottas, the three-time drivers’ champion capitalized on his opportunity, converting his 57 previous grand prix victories into an impressive 58.
This victory further solidified his dominance in the 2024 season, extending his points lead to 25. Following his triumph over McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, the 26-year-old shared his sentiments on yet another comfortable victory.
“Yeah, I felt amazing,” Verstappen expressed when asked about his perspective on the race. “All weekend I think we were incredibly quick. It’s just enjoyable to drive every single compound. As well, the restarts I think we all survived that well.”
Verstappen secured yet another victory that seemed inevitable, marking his fourth win out of the opening five grand prix of the season, and five out of six if we include Saturday’s sprint.
In line with his dominant performance this year, he reaffirmed the exceptional performance of his career throughout the weekend, stating: “The car was basically on rails, and I could do whatever I wanted to with it.
“Those kinds of weekends are of course amazing to feel and to achieve what we did this weekend is fantastic.”
Despite his confidence, the Dutchman admitted to feeling a slight nervousness in the final stages, expressing concern that he might have picked up some debris on his tires. “You hear always noises a little bit,” he explained.
“Of course, I’ve had it in the past that I’ve retired quite close to the end. And then yeah, there was a bit of debris I think from a car, and you know when the tyres are getting cold and old, it’s very easy to puncture them and I just wanted to double-check.”
