Max Verstappen: The fate of the race was decided at the beginning

Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix after emphasizing at the finish that he succeeded thanks to his aggressive actions at the start.

Max Verstappen: “I think the fate of the race was already decided at the beginning. I took the lead on the 2nd lap, after which I created a gap in the first segment and was able to widen it slightly. But after that we had to drive the race mainly defensively, because Lando and McLaren were very fast today, especially in the last laps.

But I believe we did everything right, we implemented quite aggressive tactics – fortunately it was confirmed closer to the finish that this approach was justified, and I am very happy that I was able to win at this track.

At the start on the straight we had to drive almost rally style, I went a little onto the grass so I lost a bit, but we braked very late into Turn 1. And then of course I was determined to take the lead. When I did that, I already had the opportunity to save my tires, which was the factor that allowed me to win.

During the race I had to actively do this, because in all the fast corners the tires overheated a lot, causing the car to slide a lot. Overall we had to slow the pace throughout the race to keep tire wear under control.”

Sergio Perez (8th): “I think the biggest problem today was my starting position. I overtook Fernando Alonso, but Nico Hulkenberg overtook me, and this had serious consequences for my entire race. When I drove into the disturbed air area behind his car, it was very difficult to stay close to him.

As a result, we had to switch to the tactic of three pit stops, but the rivals are very strong, so it is very important to act perfectly every weekend. It looks like McLaren has the fastest car at the moment, but I hope we can be more competitive on other circuits.”