Portuguese Grand Prix

Verstappen blames “odd weekend” after finishing second best to Hamilton

Will Gray Sunday 2 May 2021 19:00

Verstappen blames “odd weekend” after finishing second best to Hamilton

Max Verstappen blamed an “odd weekend” for his lack of pace in the Red Bull after he failed to beat Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who arrived in Portugal just a point behind Hamilton, led the seven-time F1 champion at one point following an early race safety car, only for a mistake a few laps later at turn 14 to allow his main title rival to reclaim position.

“This was, in general, a bit of an odd weekend in terms of grip,” said Verstappen with regard to the Portimão track. “We were not on top of it here but we will see what we can do in Barcelona [next weekend's Spanish GP].

“I had a good restart and I tried to put the pressure on Valtteri [Bottas] but at the end we lacked a little bit of pace overall, so Lewis got by again and after the pit stop the warm-up is super hard on these tyres.

“I think once we settled in second, you could clearly see that around here we were lacking in pace compared to them. But still, second, fastest lap in the last lap…”

Verstappen smiled in satisfaction at his success in sneaking a point for the fastest lap only to be informed his effort had been cancelled for exceeding track limits.

The fastest lap went to Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in the end, which led to Verstappen responding by saying: “That’s a bit odd because they were not checking track limits at 14 but...whatever!”

Latest News

GPFans Recap

Ricciardo tipped for NEW F1 role as star makes COMEBACK at Las Vegas Grand Prix - GPFans Recap

3 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: The music artists set to star at STUNNING event

Yesterday 22:57

Latest F1 News

Mercedes star SHOCKED by FIA reaction after damning drivers' statement

Yesterday 21:33

Latest F1 News

Verstappen reveals F1 RETIREMENT clue ahead of Las Vegas GP

Yesterday 20:47

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton drops Mercedes BOMBSHELL ahead of Las Vegas GP

Yesterday 20:02

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 star reveals DEPORTATION threat at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Yesterday 19:18

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2024

GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun

George Russell

GP GREAT BRITAIN 5 - 7 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP HUNGARY 19 - 21 Jul

Oscar Piastri

GP BELGIUM 26 - 28 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP NETHERLANDS 23 - 25 Aug

Lando Norris

GP ITALY 30 Aug - 1 Sep

Charles Leclerc

GP AZERBAIJAN 13 - 15 Sep

Oscar Piastri

GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep

Lando Norris

GP USA 18 - 20 Oct

Charles Leclerc

GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct

GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec

GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec

Complete kalender 2024

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

Verstappen blames “odd weekend” after finishing second best to Hamilton

Verstappen blames “odd weekend” after finishing second best to Hamilton