“A lot of drivers do that when it is wet”– Max Verstappen reveals reason behind his great Imola start

“A lot of drivers do that when it is wet”– Max Verstappen reveals what led to his powerful start in Imola that made him win.

Max Verstappen has dropped a statement on behalf of Red Bull that this year maybe it’s their year, and that was affirmed on last Sunday in Imola, where the Dutchman registered his first win of the season.

The rain had transformed the track into a wet slippery slope, but Verstappen managed to make a powerful start displacing Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton, who were in the front row.

Verstappen talked about his start at Imola and revealed what technique made him climb the top. However, he also stated that it is nothing extraordinary.

“A lot of drivers do that when it is wet,” Verstappen explained on his own website. “The motor delivers a lot of torque and in second gear you have less wheelspin.”

“Lewis [Hamilton] did that too, just like we have been doing on a wet track for a few years. I don’t think that made a difference at the start. I’m glad we had such a good start, because that was decisive for the race for me.”

Step by step

With Verstappen only a point below Hamilton, it would be a matter of time before the Red Bull driver overtakes Hamilton in the drivers’ championship race, but the 23-year-old wants to take things slowly.

“I just try to perform as well as possible every Grand Prix. That’s what I should focus on. We have had a positive start to the season and I am very happy with that. Hopefully we can keep that up.”

Next, Mercedes and Red Bull are set to vie in Portugal, which would further define the season’s momentum; as of now, the Brackley based team is not flying away with the season like in 2020.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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