Max Verstappen Admits He’s ‘Very Surprised’ with Stellar Emilia Romagna GP Victory
Max Verstappen accepted that his pace at the Emilia Romagna GP came as a surprise to Red Bull.
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Max Verstappen (via Motorsport.com)
Max Verstappen and Red Bull have not had the best of starts to the 2025 season. The reigning world champion had struggled to match McLaren courtesy of the MCL39’s pace advantage. However, the Emilia Romagna GP witnessed the Dutchman’s brilliance yet again. The 27-year-old defeated both McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to take the win. Now, Verstappen has admitted that even he was surprised with the result.
The Red Bull star started in second place and clinched the lead from Oscar Piastri at Turn 1. Max Verstappen simply didn’t look back after that. The Dutchman was lapping quick laptimes throughout the race, extending his lead to Piastri and Norris. At one stage, Verstappen was over 25 seconds ahead of Lando Norris in second. A late Safety Car got the pack bunched up together. Yet, the 27-year-old timed the restart cleverly and once again went off into the distance, taking his second victory of the season.
Max Verstappen reckoned that even after he took the lead on the first lap, he was not really confident about winning the race. The Dutch driver recalled having lost the race in Miami despite being in the lead. As such, Verstappen was wary of potentially losing out on long-run pace.
I was happy to take over the lead, but I wasn’t sure yet how fast we would actually be. In Miami I was also in the lead, but we didn’t have good race pace there.
Max Verstappen said, as quoted by Formule1.nl
However, things remained in favor of the four-time world champion. Max Verstappen was happy with how the RB21 behaved on-track. Moreover, the 27-year-old confessed that he was surprised by how things panned out this weekend. Certainly, this victory will serve as a major morale boost, not only for Verstappen but also the Red Bull crew back at Milton Keynes. With Norris even claiming that Verstappen was faster.
I was trying to find my rhythm. The car felt better and was easier to control. Overall, it is very surprising, but I am very happy with what we showed today and I hope we can repeat this performance more often.
Max Verstappen stated
Max Verstappen reveals incredible precision in Oscar Piastri overtake
The start of a race is one of its most thrilling moments. As 20 of the world’s best drivers go head-to-head when the five lights go out, anything can happen. Max Verstappen is no stranger to chaotic starts with the Dutchman being penalized at the Saudi Arabian GP for going off-track. However, the Emilia Romagna GP was luckier for the Red Bull star.
Verstappen claimed that he had better speed compared to Piastri at the start, giving him some much-needed momentum into the first corner. The Dutch driver insisted that everything happened quite quickly and he was able to get past the Australian due to some incredibly precise driving. Moreover, good tire grip also came in handy.
I got more speed along towards the first corner and had the momentum. Everything happens so fast and you have to be incredibly precise not to go off track, but luckily the grip was good.
Max Verstappen explained
Certainly, Max Verstappen and Red Bull needed this win. With two wins in the first seven races, the 27-year-old is keeping his championship hopes alive against Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Although, things will remain tough for the Red Bull star with McLaren seemingly having a pace advantage.
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