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José Verstappen has mocked Mercedes’ strategy after his son Max won the Dutch Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
The way the reigning world champions repeated last season’s Zandvoort victory was somewhat similar to Abu Dhabi’s 2021 campaign.
Of course, that was the controversial Grand Prix, and Verstappen took the drivers’ title with the help of the late safety car.
A similar, but less controversial, situation emerged in the Netherlands – although this time, the race director’s decision was undisputed.
But, as at Yas Marina last December, Red Bull things got better, on pit walls and tracks.
The similarity between the two occasions is that Lewis Hamilton Leading and not being called into the pits for a tire change to maintain track position, Verstappen did stop for new rubber.
Both times, the Dutchman passed Hamilton in the first place to go on to win the race.
Jos Verstappen was delighted to see his 24-year-old son claim his 10th win of the season, another big step in the reigning drivers’ crown – but he also couldn’t resist taking a stab at Mercedes sarcasm.
“It was very tense but Red Bull came out on top again,” the Verstappen senior told The Telegraph.
“Max tried all the tyres and pointed out which one worked best. Mercedes did a good job too and they definitely had a chance to win. But luckily it worked out well for us.
“You’d think Mercedes learned a lesson from the last race in Abu Dhabi last year, but clearly it wasn’t.”
Thank you all for a great home game 🏁🇳🇱#dutchGP pic.twitter.com/JMr72VpmPI
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 5, 2022
Now with a 109-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship, if all goes well, Verstappen could theoretically even close out the title at the Japanese Grand Prix on his 25th birthday weekend with just three races game time.
“Max now wins 10 of 15 games,” his father noted. “His performance was amazing.
“Yeah, obviously he has a bit of an edge. But if you’re not there yet, never consider yourself rich.”
Verstappen Jr. raced at the Dutch Grand Prix wearing a special helmet in tribute to his father, with the world champion holding it up in front of TV cameras after taking pole position in qualifying.
“Only the photo disappeared, so I didn’t see it,” Joss said, “but then I did see it and received the photo.
“I know Max is very grateful for what has happened in the past and the work we’ve put into it.”
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