Preventing for sixth place just isn’t usually the place you discover Max Verstappen within the closing laps of a System 1 race.
However that’s precisely the place the Crimson Bull driver discovered himself because the laps ticked down within the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. After a tough qualifying session ended with Verstappen beginning the race down in P7, every thing went improper for him from the second the lights went out to begin the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“Principally every thing went improper!” Verstappen declared after the race when talking with the official F1 channel. “We had a poor begin, an excessive amount of wheelspin after I dropped the clutch, after which the primary stint once more [I had] mainly the identical issues that I had in Qualifying, plus we have been simply overheating our tires an excessive amount of in comparison with the competitors forward of us.”
After beginning the race on a set of sentimental tires, Crimson Bull referred to as Verstappen in for a pit cease on Lap 10 to make the change to a set of hards. However issues solely acquired worse for him from there, beginning with a complication alongside pit lane, adopted by the laborious tires merely not working for him on the monitor.
“Then [at] the primary cease I believe the lights acquired caught on, however after all I don’t wish to drive by means of the lights – you wish to keep and persist with the protocol of the group – in order that put me into visitors as effectively, then the laborious tires sadly didn’t work so I used to be sliding round much more than I used to be on the tender,” added Verstappen.
“Then we boxed once more, [which was an] even worse pit cease, so then I used to be final. And, yeah, contemplating every thing, to be sincere to complete P6 is then alright. I imply, greater than that was anyway not doable even with good pit stops or different tires chosen, realistically.
“It’s after all not what we wish, but it surely’s simply the place we’re at with our automotive and the tire habits that now we have with the automotive. Every thing is simply highlighted much more on a monitor like this.”
Verstappen was in a position to get well and finally go Pierre Gasly for sixth place on the ultimate lap of the race, however once more combating for sixth on the finish of a race is unfamiliar territory for the Crimson Bull driver.
As is his present place within the Drivers’ Championship, the place he sits third, trying up at each Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, whose win in Bahrain moved him as much as second within the standings.
“It’s a must to cling on, attempt to enhance the state of affairs, but it surely was only a bit caught in the mean time and hopefully we will enhance quickly,” concluded Verstappen.
We’ll see if that enchancment begins subsequent weekend in Saudi Arabia.
