Max Verstappen was 7th at the start of the Belgian grand prix but he was third at the chequered flag for the obvious delight of his legions of fans.
“After a bit of bad luck in Spa in the past, I’m very pleased to finally be coming away with a podium. There was a bit of first lap chaos to contend with but we made it through cleanly and managed to settle into a good pace right away. From there on I managed to pass [Romain] Grosjean up the hill and concentrate on chasing the Force Indias. I knew I would have to be patient and in the end, I got close enough. I was surprised by their pace, I thought with DRS I would be able to get by easily but they were very strong. This made it a bit more enjoyable to try and pass”, Verstappen said.
Verstappen: After a bit of bad luck in Spa in the past I’m pleased with a podium
“After this little battle, it was quite a lonely race. It was good to push the car and learn from it but there wasn’t a lot more action for me. Seb [Vettel] and Lewis [Hamilton] were once again too quick for us but in terms of balance, the car felt really good. It is always good to be on the podium but being on it here in Spa with so many Dutch fans is really special. On the last lap, I was able to take in the orange crowd and enjoy it. Monza shouldn’t be strong in theory but as you can see from today a lot of things can happen. We will do our best and try to be there so if something happens our car can be in the running.”
Very happy with this podium at Spa! A special one for me! We stayed out of trouble, the car worked well and we maximized our result. Thanks @redbullracing, and all Dutch fans for the fantastic support ? #KeepPushing #BelgianGP #OrangeArmy pic.twitter.com/SmhEWScuxz
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) August 26, 2018
