Verstappen doesn't understand FIA choices: 'With that you only create chaos'

2 April 2023 at 09:43

GPblog.com

After a bizarre day of racing in Melbourne, Max Verstappen took his 37th victory and 80th podium finish. Speaking to Viaplay, he looks back on the Australian Grand Prix, which was marked by - how could it be otherwise - some very remarkable decisions by the FIA.

The stewards decided to stop the race with three laps to go, which met with astonished reactions from Formula 1 drivers. Chaos immediately ensued at the restart, causing several drivers to fall far back. Verstappen got away well and did not take much notice of all the commotion at first.

Verstappen does not understand FIA choices

"I suddenly saw that I had a very big gap," he began. "Then I saw all the images and it was huge chaos. That's also what you create when you send out a safety car driving so slowly: you don't get a temperature in your tyres. So you come to the grid and your tyres are just twenty degrees colder than normal. Then of course you have very little grip at the start, but also with braking."

Verstappen can therefore have little sympathy for the stewards' decisions during the race. "That first corner was just chaos. I don't understand why we had all those red flags anyway. Everything that happened was ultimately just fixable with a crane or something. With those red flags you create so much chaos," he continued.

Discussion about Verstappen's starting position

After the race, discussion arose about Verstappen's starting position during the late restart. Some said he was too far forward, but Toto Wolff assured Sky Sports that Mercedes had already looked at the footage and that Verstappen's RB19 was positioned correctly. Verstappen, who has also already seen the footage, clarified that that was indeed the case.

"Where the tyre hits the ground, it should not go outside the white line at the front or at the side. If you look closely at the picture, where the tyre makes contact with the ground, it's just on the line or even a bit in front of it," explained the Red Bull Racing driver.

Verstappen's first win in Australia means he has achieved 80 podiums in his F1 career, as many as racing legend Ayrton Senna. Asked about the conclusions he draws from that fact, a down-to-earth answer as we know it from the two-time world champion follows: "Of course, I hope there will be more than 80 podiums to come."