Max Verstappen believes the teamwork between himself and Red Bull paid dividends as he won a crazy German Grand Prix.
Amid the change back from slicks to intermediates, the Dutchman took over the lead having recovered to third behind the two Mercedes’ after a poor start.
After that point, it was simply a case of keeping his head and he would go on to claim a second win in three races in front of another largely orange crowd.
“It was very tricky out there, we had to stay very focused, we couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
“Now after the race, I think I can say that I did that 360 (spin) for the crowd, but it was tricky out there, the medium tyres with very low grip,” he said after struggling initially after his first move to slicks.
“The information between myself and the team was crucial today, and I think we made the right calls, that gave us the victory.
“Also once I was ahead of the Mercedes cars, you could really see the pace we had because I was stuck in the dirty air in the first few laps behind Valtteri [Bottas].
“Once you’re ahead, you can basically save your tyres a bit more and everything was basically a bit more under control. But yeah, good victory.”
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Having first shown his wet-weather prowess in a brilliant drive at Interlagos in 2016, Hockenheim also provided Verstappen with his first win the rain in F1.
“[I had] a lot of practice I think from when I was young in the wet, working many hours together with my dad, who I think was also pretty decent in the wet,” he said of how he built his skills.
“He also gave me the right tips, and not only just driving in the wet, but making decisions as well while driving, paying attention to what’s happening around you, and of course experience in life, in Formula 1.
“I think if you do over 90 races, you have experienced a lot already, and based on that, of course, you also can make better decisions I think.”
