Max Verstappen takes dig at Red Bull after finishing P2 at Australian GP

Max Verstappen joked about his past performance at the Australian GP after finishing behind Lando Norris this weekend.

Max Verstappen takes dig at Red Bull after finishing P2 at Australian GP

Max Verstappen (via Motorsport.com)

Max Verstappen put forth a fierce challenge for victory at the Australian GP against McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Dutch driver pushed himself to the limit till the last lap of the race to take the lead from Norris. Yet, it was not enough, with the 27-year-old finishing in second place. After the race, the reigning world champion joked about his performance compared to last season.

The 2024 Australian GP was not the best of races for Verstappen. The Red Bull star was struggling to match rivals and battled against then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz for the win. However, a brake failure forced the reigning world champion to retire from the race and bring no points home. Meanwhile Sainz went on to clinch victory at Albert Park.

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Max Verstappen was asked if he was surprised by the pace of the RB21 this weekend as he managed to get quite close to defeating Lando Norris. The Dutchman reckoned that he sort of expected to be in the mix for victory. Notably, he joked that scoring 18 points in second place was 18 points more than what he scored last season. As such, Verstappen reckoned that he was happy with that result.

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This is where I expected to be, it is 18 points more than I had here last year, so I’ll take that.

Max Verstappen said post-race

Max Verstappen had ‘fun’ against Lando Norris

The Dutch driver came very close to going wheel-to-wheel with Norris during the ending stages of the race. The four-time world champion was less than a second behind the McLaren in the final two laps, waiting for him to make a mistake. However, Verstappen could not find a way past the 25-year-old.

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (via RacingNews365)

Max Verstappen reckoned that it was a challenging race, but he really enjoyed his battle at the end of the Grand Prix. The Red Bull star pointed out that Lando Norris made an error on Turn 6 which allowed him to come right behind the McLaren. Verstappen asserted that he had fun as he tried to fight for victory. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old was simply happy to bring the car home in second place. He claimed that the result was a good start for Milton Keynes.

It was a difficult race, of course, but at the end it was fun. Lando had a little moment in Turn 6 which is why I got close. It was fun, pushing, fighting for the win but I’m just happy to bring it home, score good points and this is a good start for us.

Max Verstappen noted

Meanwhile Verstappen’s teammate Liam Lawson had a poor weekend. The Kiwi driver was knocked out in Q1 and could not make progress on Sunday. The slippery conditions proved to be a challenge for Lawson who ultimately retired from the race.

Max Verstappen opens up on Red Bull gamble

Red Bull made a bold strategy call midway through the race. Milton Keynes instructed Max Verstappen to stay out when rain poured on track. The four-time world champion jumped the two McLarens during this period, but was later forced to pit for intermediates.

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (via F1)

Verstappen claimed that the first lap he stayed out was manageable on slicks, but the rain did not stop. This made it much trickier on-track, forcing him to pit. Though, the Dutch driver insisted that even if he pitted a lap earlier, he would not have been ahead of Norris. As such, it was worth taking the gamble.

[When] I stayed out, the first lap was alright but the weather continued. At the end of the day if we had boxed one lap earlier, we would have been P2 anyway so it was worth a gamble. It was quite spicy on the slick tires.

Max Verstappen added

Certainly, Max Verstappen and Red Bull will have a few positives from this weekend. The 27-year-old proved once again that he has what it takes to fight for wins even against quicker rivals. However, the race highlighted once again that Milton Keynes still has plenty of work to do if they want to really match McLaren at every weekend.

The Austrian team simply cannot expect Verstappen to be the decisive factor every race. As such, it remains to be seen if Red Bull brings updates in the upcoming races or whether McLaren double down on their advantage. Nevertheless, fans are in for an exciting season.