“I think he’s had a very busy weekend because he’s also competed in the 24 hours of Nurburgring [sim race] as well as being in the car, so he’s won two races today, one in a BMW M3 and one in a Formula 1 car. Max this weekend, you heard what it meant to him, the pole position yesterday he had to dig very deep and the performance today was a masterclass.”
Mid-race, Verstappen was given a black and white warning flag for track limit violations, which led to the “stressful” situation where any more infringements would have resulted in a time penalty. The Dutchman had to be inch-perfect in the closing stages under huge pressure from Norris in the McLaren.
HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix as Verstappen wins in nail-biting finish
That McLaren has come alive since the papaya team introduced their big upgrade package in Miami, which in turn has shaken up the pecking order and given Horner pause for thought when it comes to the championship – especially given how many races are left in this record-breaking 24-round season.
“You can’t take anything for granted, we certainly don’t. We’ve won five out of seven [Grands Prix] and two out of two Sprints and seven out of seven poles, but the margins are fine, very fine.
