Verstappen: 'I started cramping because of the excitement and the focus'

Buckling under the Pressure

In Red Bull's video True Story Behing Max Verstappen's First F1 Win, Verstappen looks back on his historic first win in Formula 1, during his first race for Red Bull Racing. For laps he managed to keep Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari behind him, but it was close.

"With five laps to go I started cramping because of the excitement and the focus. It was pretty intense," the Dutchman said of the final laps of the race. "I was literally counting the laps at the end. There was a lot of pressure." And he wasn't the only one who nearly succumbed to the pressure. "My dad was so excited during the race that his nose started bleeding. I can't imagine how he watched those last laps."

Emotional moments

And then it really happened, Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix. That took some getting used to when returning to the pits. "I had no idea where to go, what to do." 

And then of course the congratulations from Helmut Marko and others. "At first I wanted to shake his hand. I had no idea how to react. And then of course we hugged.

"The most emotional moment for me was when I saw my father after the podium ceremony," continued the Dutchman. "We could finally hug each other. It was an achievement we made together. It was a very special moment."