“They know they are slower” - Max Verstappen takes a cheeky jibe at Mercedes

Max Verstappen reckons he drove cautiously during the Australian GP as he had more pace than the Mercedes. The Dutchman believes it is important to be patient and not lose positions in the process of fighting the Mercedes drivers in Melbourne.

Speaking to ViaPlay after the Australian GP, the Dutchman said:

"I was careful, but on the other hand, I obviously have a lot to lose on that first lap and they obviously try to race very aggressively because they know they are slower. If I have damage, then of course, my whole race is over. Of course, you don't want to lose any spots, but in the end, you see that it doesn't matter much for me. I was very careful, maybe a little too careful. On the other hand, you could see that they were going full out and even if I had driven along on the outside, they would have tried to make it very difficult for me.”

After claiming victory comfortably at the Australian GP, Max Verstappen felt it was important to take fewer risks during the race. The Dutchman claimed he refrained from being aggressive with the Mercedes drivers as both lacked pace and he would have overtaken them eventually.

Clinching his maiden victory at the Albert Park circuit, the double champion felt he had more to lose than the Mercedes drivers did and therefore drove carefully.

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Ted Kravitz points out the role reversal between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in 2023

Hamilton and Verstappen

Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz claims the driving styles of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have flipped after the 2021 season. The Briton explained that the Dutchman was aggressive in the past as he fought a dominant Hamilton, whereas now, it seems to be the opposite.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Kravitz explained:

“What's fascinating to me is, we now have a complete flip of the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton seasons from 2014 to 2021, when Hamilton has been going for the championship, knowing he has the fastest car and needs to play it safe. You had the upstart Verstappen challenging him and wanting to get in there.

"And now you've got Hamilton challenging Verstappen, saying, 'It's no cares given', 'I'm out there to take all the risks', putting it back on the defending champion. Hamilton knows he's not going to win the championship this year, not unless something really weird happens, so he can go in there and be aggressive with Verstappen, knowing that he is probably going to have to give way.”

Although Hamilton has been ruled out of the title battle, the reigning champion can’t afford to make his smooth and dominant run complicated with risky manoeuvres.

Claiming his second win of the season and third podium in 2023, the Dutch champion is 15 points clear of his teammate Sergio Perez and 24 points clear of Fernando Alonso.