"Try to win as many points as possible" - Max Verstappen wants Red Bull to keep up momentum and not lose 'significant' lead over Ferrari in 2022 F1 season

Max Verstappen has urged Red Bull not to lose momentum in the 2022 F1 championship battle and sustain its “significant” lead over its rival Ferrari throughout the rest of the season.

The reigning world champion believes that his team’s lead over the Scuderia is higher than it should be, considering how evenly matched the two cars are this season. Speaking to Speedweek following the 2022 F1 French GP, the Dutchman said:

“We have to stick to our plan, so try to win as many points as possible in every race. Even in a race in which things aren’t going optimally for us, we have to keep the damage within limits - just like we managed to do in Austria.’’

He added:

“Certainly, our lead is significant, but it’s also a bit more than it should be, given the performance of the two cars.’’

Red Bull and Max Verstappen were practically gifted the victory at the 2022 French GP last weekend after Charles Leclerc crashed early in the race, allowing the Dutchman to substantially increase his lead over the Monegasque.

But ahead of the race, Verstappen’s chances of victory at Circuit Paul Ricard looked increasingly slim given Ferrari’s resurgent form in recent races. Had it not been for Leclerc’s DNF, the Scuderia would likely have taken its fourth successive victory of the season in France.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz starting the race from the back of the grid due to engine penalties also helped Red Bull and Verstappen’s cause. Despite his searing pace, Sainz never really got the chance to challenge for victory after being forced into a sub-par strategy due to an early safety car, ironically, caused by Leclerc’s crash.

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Max Verstappen had “good hope” of being able to battle Charles Leclerc for victory at the 2022 F1 French GP

Max Verstappen said that he had “good hope” of being able to challenge Charles Leclerc for the lead of the 2022 F1 French GP despite Ferrari’s searing pace at the venue.

The Dutchman said that he was relying on Red Bull’s superior straight-line speed over the Scuderia to help him battle Leclerc despite being forced to pit for fresh tires early on in the race. Speaking at a post-race press conference, Verstappen said:

“It wasn’t anything, like, drastic, the way he was pulling away. So, I still had good hope that we would have had a good fight on the other compound as well.’’

He continued:

“I think we were a lot more competitive [at Paul Ricard]. Of course, our straight-line speed was very beneficial, but because of that, of course, in the high-speed, we had to be a bit more careful.”

After losing out to Leclerc in qualifying, Max Verstappen set about trying to make amends on Sunday. Right from the get-go, he put enormous pressure on the Monegasque while to trying to force him to make an error.

But after more than 15 laps of following the Ferrari at a close distance, Verstappen’s tires had gone off the cliff, forcing him to pit for fresh tires much earlier than planned.

It seemed like his chances of being able to challenge Ferrari for the win were effectively over, until Leclerc made a mistake and spun out of the race.