Max Verstappen

Verstappen claims he 'FORCED' Sainz into key Italian GP mistake

Joe Ellis Sunday 3 September 2023 18:57

Verstappen claims he 'FORCED' Sainz into key Italian GP mistake

Max Verstappen admitted that he forced Carlos Sainz to make his race-losing mistake during the Italian GP.

The Ferrari driver and pole-sitter had led the opening 13 laps of the race, a new record for non-Red Bull drivers in 2023, before Verstappen pounced.

Persistent pressure from behind saw Sainz lock up at the first chicane and hinder his exit towards Curva Grande.

The Dutchman seized his chance and went through to claim his 10th win in a row, a new all-time F1 record.

Verstappen: Verstappen: I had to pick my moment

The defining moment of the race crushed the hearts of the Tifosi, dreaming of a home win for Ferrari

“I would never believed that was possible," Verstappen said after the race. "We had to work for it today and that made it definitely a lot more fun.

"We had good pace, I think we were good on the tyres but they had a lot of top speed. It was so hard to get close and get a move on into turn one.

"I had to force him into a mistake and luckily it came at some point where he locked up and then I had better traction out of turn two. From there on, we could do our own race.

“I was just trying to stay patient. It was still a very long race, I could see they were struggling a lot with the rear tyres, so I just had to pick my moment.

"Everything felt good, we had to nurse a little issue at the end. But we had luckily of course the gap behind, so I could easily back out."

Latest News

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Hamilton FRUSTRATION revealed as seven-time champion makes LAST RACE announcement

8 minutes ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today as conditions set to cause havoc

25 minutes ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Sphere: All you need to know about the dome dominating F1’s Las Vegas GP

42 minutes ago

Latest F1 News

Norris DISMISSES major championship rival ahead of Las Vegas GP

1 hour ago

Lewis Hamilton

Wolff reveals HUGE Hamilton change ahead of Ferrari switch

2 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Controversial Las Vegas Grand Prix set for HUGE changes

3 hours ago

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