Max Verstappen admitted that he was afraid of having an accident right on the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix in Formula 1 when he saw Charles Leclerc approaching at high speed. The four-time world champion said he preferred to maintain his trajectory to avoid what he called a “plane crash.”
Read more F1: Bortoleto says Audi in 2026 is «more than anyone in the paddock expected»
Starting second, the Dutchman took the lead by overtaking Kimi Antonelli at the exit of Eau Rouge. However, still on the Kemmel straight, he lost the position to the Mercedes driver and was also overtaken by the Monegasque before the Les Combes chicane, finishing the first lap only in third.
The Red Bull driver explained that the problem started right at the exit of La Source, when he realized he had used too much energy from the battery. “Clearly we used too much energy from Turn 1 to Turn 2. I went through Eau Rouge, looked at the battery level and thought: ‘This straight to Les Combes is going to be difficult.’”
Read more F1: Verstappen makes positive assessment after podium at the Belgian GP
“I expected Kimi to pass, but then I looked in the mirror and saw a red rocket coming. I thought: ‘I’ll just keep my line because if I change direction here, we’re going to have a plane crash.’ The speed difference was really impressive.”
The four-time F1 champion finished the race in third place, securing his fourth podium of the season and the third in the last four rounds. “The car was in a good window from the start, and that helps a lot. To be honest, we had a bit of bad luck with the VSC and maybe I could have fought with Charles. But the second stint was a bit worse than I expected. The balance wasn’t where I wanted it for much of that stint and I lost a lot of time. Still, finishing on the podium here was a good result.”
Read more «Unacceptable»: Russell revolts after early abandonment at the Belgian F1 GP
