Max Verstappen pulled off an incredible comeback at the Qatar Grand Prix, fighting his way to victory despite a rough start to the race weekend.
The win didn’t come easy. Verstappen had started the weekend in P8 during the Sprint race and lost pole position after stewards penalized him. But none of that seemed to matter once the main race got underway.
"It was a very good race," Verstappen said with a smile. "That first stint was very, very fast."
The defending champion found himself in an exciting battle with Lando Norris, with both drivers pushing each other hard. They stayed within 1.8 seconds of each other for much of the race, treating fans to some edge-of-your-seat racing.
"This track has a lot of grip, and the tires were really holding on. It was a lot of fun to be really pushing," Verstappen added.
Things got particularly interesting after the second safety car restart. Verstappen had a heart-stopping moment when he lost grip coming out of the final corner.
"On the hard tires there’s very little grip. You just come out of the box and they’re already cold," he explained. "It got a bit spicy into Turn 1, but I think that’s great to see."
What makes the victory even more impressive is how quickly the Red Bull team turned things around. After struggling earlier in the weekend, they completely transformed the car’s performance within just 24 hours.
"It’s been a while in the dry to be this competitive," Verstappen said. "I’m very proud of everyone in the team to turn it around within a day. They definitely deserve this victory."
The win adds another chapter to what’s becoming one of Verstappen’s most dominant seasons yet.
