Max Verstappen

Verstappen: Poor start contributed to Belgium retirement

Paul Macdonald Sunday 1 September 2019 16:35 Updated: 16:50

Verstappen: Poor start contributed to Belgium retirement

Max Verstappen admitted that a poor start contributed to the collision that ended his Belgian Grand Prix on the first corner.

The Dutchman was slow off the grid at the start, and when he approached the tight first bend too close to the wall he collided with Kimi Raikkonen, sending the Finn's car into the air.

Verstappen attempted to continue but it was clear he had suffered a steering issue in the crash and slowly took his car into the safety barrier.

Raikkonen, meanwhile was able to continue after pitting for repairs.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Max said of the incident: "Poor start, I don't really know why, we'll look into that.

"Maybe I braked a little later than the two cars ahead of me, it was all working quite well but I think Kimi didn't expect me to be there any more.

"So he just did his normal line and we touched, the track rod was broken after that and that's why I went straight on [into the barrier].

"That's racing. These things can happen."

When asked if he was looking forward to getting back behind the wheel so soon after this incident, with Monza in Italy coming just next week, he added: "For sure, but [next week] is not going to be the best for us, but we'll try and make the best of it."

Latest News

Latest F1 News

F1 team announce NEW driver signing for 2025

27 minutes ago

Latest F1 News

Ferrari team-mates COLLIDE at Las Vegas Grand Prix

1 hour ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

FIA announce major PENALTY for F1 star at Las Vegas Grand Prix

1 hour ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix Practice

F1 Results Today: Verstappen suffers Las Vegas Grand Prix NIGHTMARE as Hamilton dominates

2 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix Practice

F1 team DISASTER brings out shock red flag at Las Vegas Grand Prix

2 hours ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Hamilton BOMBSHELL drops as Red Bull announce NEW contract for 2025

Today 06:27

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: Poor start contributed to Belgium retirement

Verstappen: Poor start contributed to Belgium retirement