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Verstappen reflects on ‘lucky’ Suzuka start amid McLaren challenge
Max Verstappen described himself as “lucky” during the start of the Japanese Grand Prix as he managed to stay ahead of the McLaren drivers and ultimately win the race. Verstappen had to defend his position against Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who both made good starts and were alongside him going into the first corner. Verstappen strategically angled himself towards Piastri and managed to switch to the inside, forcing Norris wide on the exit. Despite a Safety Car and two Virtual Safety Cars, Verstappen maintained his lead for the rest of the race, only briefly losing it during the pit-stop cycle. Verstappen acknowledged that he was close to losing the lead and admitted that the situation was tense. He also expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, stating that the car was nice to drive and that they were able to manage tire degradation well. Overall, Verstappen described the weekend as incredible and praised the car’s performance.
Source: RacingNews 365
