"It was actually quite a good battle" - Max Verstappen says 2022 F1 British GP on-track fight with Mick Schumacher was 'fun'
Max Verstappen was able to secure a P7 finish at the 2022 F1 British GP after holding off a fast-charging Mick Schumacher towards the final stages of the race. The Red Bull driver was struggling with a damaged car after he ran over debris and was just nursing his way towards the end of the race.
Speaking to the media after the race, Verstappen admitted his struggles late into the race while also acknowledging the battle he had with the young German. He said:
“My car was limping a bit. But I knew that also Mick [Schumacher] was really trying to go for seventh, and it was fun. Of course, I was not enjoying where I was, but you can also appreciate the fight you’re having with someone else. I think it was actually quite a good battle.”
Not at all nervous watching that last lap battle between Mick and Max 😅
#HaasF1 #BritishGP https://t.co/bWfaVAR64F
Max Verstappen also admitted that he did try to squeeze Mick Schumacher a bit while also sharing the interaction the two drivers had once the race was over. He said:
“I said to him, ‘I knew you were fighting for the points’. [He said] ‘Yeah, I know, but I really wanted seventh’. I said, ‘I know you did, I saw that!’. It was a good battle. I was like, ‘Well, he has to now back off, otherwise we’re both out.’ Luckily, he’s smart enough to [do that].”
P7 is a good result considering the damage: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen was missing half the floor of his car and that led to him losing multiple seconds in terms of the car's original potential. Talking to the media after the race, he admitted that P7 was good damage limitation. He said:
“Seventh place is a good result considering the damage I had on the car and with Checo [Sergio Perez] on the podium, we’ve scored some good points for the Team. I of course had hoped for more but today was just unlucky. I had a look at the car during the red flag and the whole of the underneath on the left-hand side was ruptured.”
He continued:
“I hit a huge piece of debris; I think it was carbon. As I was driving it felt like a puncture as I had no balance and a lot of oversteer. The car was a handful to drive, I tried to find a good aero balance but it was difficult.”
An unlucky afternoon 😤
We were on it from the beginning of the race, after getting of the line great on both occasions.
After picking up debri my floor was severely damaged and we struggled throughout the race. I gave it my all for P7 and collected important points. https://t.co/9ZilfVeqEm
Fortunately for Max Verstappen, despite him having a bad race, his primary title challenger did not fare much better either, as Charles Leclerc too could only muster a P4. The Red Bull driver only conceded six points to the Ferrari driver at the British GP, which was a massive boost for Verstappen in the end.