Max Verstappen didn't have it easy in the Canadian GP and had to hold Carlos Sainz's Ferrari in the final laps, and he confessed that he had a lot of fun defending himself against the Spaniard
Max Verstappen held off pressure from Carlos Sainz in the closing laps of the Canadian GP to take his sixth victory of the 2022 Formula 1 season. The Dutchman started from pole-position and seemed to have the race underway after making his first pit-stop with the virtual safety-car, but a crash by Yuki Tsunoda in the closing laps changed the whole scenario.
The entry of the safety-car allowed Sainz to make his second stop and get right behind the defending champion. With a good pace on the hard tires, the Spaniard pressed Verstappen for the last ten laps, but the Red Bull's straight-line speed spoke louder. The Dutchman praised Ferrari's performance, and confessed that he had a lot of fun at the end of the race.
"The safety-car didn't help. I think overall they were very fast in the race and it would be difficult to close that gap even with new tires. I was giving as much as I could and he was doing the same. He was pushing and charging the battery. The last few laps were a lot of fun," Verstappen revealed.
Max made his second stop before Sainz, which opened up the possibility of the Spaniard trying to take the car to the end with just one stop and fend off Red Bull at the end. But the safety-car changed the scenario for both, and the defending champion, who had hoped to attack, found himself in a defensive position.
"Overall, they were very fast in the race and it would be difficult to overtake. I would rather attack than defend, but it worked out in the end," Verstappen concluded.
With the win, Verstappen now has 175 points earned, 46 more than his teammate, Sergio Pérez, who abandoned the race with gearbox problems. Formula One returns on July 3 for the British GP at Silverstone.