Max Verstappen scored another podium finish for Red Bull, as he finished third behind Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Verstappen spent most of his track time battling Nico Rosberg for second. He managed to get the pass on the German in the opening stages, optimising the pace deficit the Mercedes driver seems to have in wet conditions.
The Red Bull driver described the race as “very exciting” but “very tricky”. The mixed conditions made it very difficult to choose the optimum time to change from the full wet tyres to the intermediates and then the intermediates to the slick tyres.
Verstappen was in the group of cars who stayed out on the full wets for longest, which, with the help of the VSC became the best strategy.
“I managed to get Nico and was catching Lewis at the end of the stint,” Verstappen said on the podium. “I pitted on lap too late [for slick tyres]. Nico got the edge. Even on the slick tyres the car was doing what it was supposed to do and we were close to Mercedes.”
Verstappen demoted Rosberg to third whilst on the intermediate tyres, taking to the wet section of the track for an incredible move around the outside of Becketts. When asked about his mentality going into that move, Verstappen simply shrugged.
“I just do what I think I should do. Of course it’s a risky move but the car had the grip and I had the feeling. [The move at] Spa [2015] surprised me but today it was ok. He [Rosberg] was defending on the inside so I’ll go on the outside.”
There is still a potential that Verstappen could end second, matching his result in Austria, as Rosberg is under investigation for radio infringement. Whether the final result is altered or not it was a very impressive drive for Verstappen, managing to be a big threat to the Mercedes team from start to finish.
