Toro Rosso: Verstappen in the points after a brilliant comeback
On the highly selective Suzuka track, and three days before his eighteenth birthday, Max Verstappen delivered a talented race to climb from 17th place to 9th. Carlos Sainz, after a "rookie mistake" according to him, had to concede to the Dutchman at the end of the race.
The last detractors of Max Verstappen have probably fallen silent this Sunday, as the Dutchman’s comeback, starting from 17th place, was marked by success and determination, exemplified by an outside overtaking attempt in the very fast 130 R.
Max Verstappen continues to impress the paddock and could, therefore, be pleased after the race: « It was a great race! I think the start was good, and I was able to overtake Nasr immediately in the first sector, even though he overtook me again at the hairpin because I got a bit blocked and didn’t want to take too much risk! It was a shame, because then I was stuck behind him for quite a few laps and lost time on the other cars ahead… But after my first stop, I was able to push again until I got blocked behind Kvyat first, and then Alonso. But I didn’t give up, and in the end, we were able to finish at the front, which is very positive. Starting from 17th place and finishing in 9th position on a circuit like this is really a good result. I’m happy to have scored points again, it was really a great day! »
Carlos Sainz still lives in the shadow of his brilliant teammate and can really only blame himself this time: the Spaniard, who started seven places ahead of Verstappen on the grid, made a rookie mistake by entering the pits, clipping his wing, which cost him about fifteen seconds in the pit stop before being overtaken, without any possible resistance, by his teammate at the end of the race. He only scores one point but would have undoubtedly finished ahead of Verstappen without this cruel mistake: « I think it was a good race until the mistake at the pit entry, and I even think it was one of my best races so far this year » he lamented, bitter-sweetly, after the finish.
The Toro Rosso, on this demanding Suzuka track where engine power matters much more than in Singapore, was more competitive than expected this weekend: « My first stint was good with the Options and even better with the Primes: I was literally flying and catching up with the cars ahead. (…) I then destroyed my tires behind Perez and at the end, it was just a matter of bringing the car home. The team did a great job and I’m sure we would have finished in a better position than 10th if I hadn’t made that mistake – a rookie mistake that will serve as a lesson, said Carlos Sainz.
If Toro Rosso ultimately scored significantly fewer points than Force India or Lotus, Franz Tost, the team’s director, is pleased with the performance of their cars: « Taking into account that we started from the tenth and seventeenth places, finishing with both cars in the points is really a success for the team. I must say that we achieved the best possible result for ourselves today. Both drivers did a fantastic job, especially Carlos during the first stint, when he overtook two cars, really showing a good level of performance. For Max, moving from 17th to 9th place shows how strong his race was. From a strategic point of view, I think we did our best.
