Verstappen misses Perez up front: 'Am also just alone in that fight''

Verstappen falls short

"The start was fine. Everything went well. Of course, the last one to brake is the first out of the corner. I went for it, because I knew it would be difficult otherwise. I did everything I could to stay ahead, but we were just too slow today'', said Verstappen after the race at Ziggo Sport.

''It was a calculated risk,'' Verstappen said of his overtaking action at the start. ''I go harder into that corner, and then at a certain point you have to give up if you are on the outside. After that I tried to drive the race as best I could, but we were just slower and our tyres wear out more.''

Sneer at Perez

''I'm also just alone in this fight. They can easily make a second stop because there's a gap behind them. Of course, that doesn't help either.'' When the interviewer asks if Sergio Perez should do more, Verstappen is clear. ''Then at least they can't make that second stop and then it's just towards the end who has the best tyres left. It's like that though...''

Still, it wouldn't have mattered much according to Verstappen, because Mercedes was simply faster according to the Dutchman. "On soft tyres, you could already see that, but you have to manage that more. On the medium, you can pedal more, and there you could really see that we didn't have the speed today'', concluded Verstappen.