2023-11-06 22:05:17
Published：2023/11/7 07:05
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) revealed that he almost went off the track following being locked into a fierce battle for third place on the podium between teammates Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) that broke out in the final stages of the F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
In the final stages of the race, where the two were in a fierce battle, Verstappen maintained a comfortable lead over Lando Norris (McLaren), who was in second place, and was in complete control of the race by managing his tires. They seemed to be enjoying the thrilling battle through the large screen set up at the venue.
Perez used DRS to dive inside at Turn 1 with two laps remaining, taking third place from Alonso. At this point, Alonso gave up on the podium, but just following entering the final lap of the next day, he slightly missed Perez at Turn 1. Seeing an opportunity, the two-time F1 champion mowed down Perez at Turn 4 and took the checkered flag for third place, 0.053 seconds behind.
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In an interview with Viaplay following the race, Verstappen laughed: “I was watching the last few laps on the screen, and I saw the two of them fighting on the straight and I almost went off the track at Turn 4!” Ta.
“It was a very close race. There was a lot of changing positions in the last two laps. I have to say it was a really good battle.”
After the race, Perez and Alonso hugged and congratulated each other on their performance. The two-time F1 world champion, now 42 years old, begged Perez, who is nine years his junior, “I’m not young anymore, so please don’t put any more stress on me!”
Perez called Alonso “fair” and said there were few opponents on the grid with whom he might have such a tough but “super fun” battle.
The final gap to Norris was 8.277 seconds, giving Verstappen a comfortable lead. However, Verstappen insisted, “It may look like an easy victory from the outside, but I think Lando was matching my lap times for most of the race.”
“Especially in the last five to 10 laps of each stint, although of course we had better tire deg.”
“Still, I had to concentrate on a lot of things in the beginning of each stint and I mightn’t afford to make any mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of tire deg here, so it’s not easy driving.”
“I can’t just relax and head to the corner without worrying regarding anything. I just can’t relax.”
“Fortunately we did well in all aspects today, both strategically and in the pit stops, so I’m really happy.”
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