Breaking news
Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP
Verstappen feared Imola tyre failure repeat while leading
Max Verstappen feared a repeat of his Imola tyre failure after reporting vibrations en route to victory in the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 season finale on Sunday.
Luke Smith
Edited: Dec 13, 2020, 9:57 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Verstappen went lights-to-flag to take his second victory of the season for Red Bull, ending Mercedes' streak of victories in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that dated back to 2014.
Verstappen never came under any real pressure at the front of the pack, quickly building a lead in the opening stages before the safety car period brought forward the planned pitstop window.
He eventually crossed the line more than 15 seconds clear of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, marking a strong end of the year for Red Bull.
"It was an enjoyable race," Verstappen said. "We had a decent start, and from there onwards, I could manage the gap and could look after my tyres.
"The safety car came out at a little bit of an unfortunate time I think because we then had to do a very long stint of course on the hard. Luckily the tyre coped with it, but you still have to manage it a bit more.
"The car was really good today, and just a good balance so then you can look after your tyres and I could just build a gap all the way through the race."
Read Also:
- Albon feels he has "done everything" to save Red Bull seat
- Hamilton says COVID effects affected him "massively" in race
- Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen cruises to win ahead of Mercedes duo
Verstappen was heard on team radio reporting a vibration with 11 laps remaining in the race, asking his engineer: "Did you see that, out of the corner how much vibrations and oscillation?"
The Dutchman revealed after the race that it left him fearing a repeat of the tyre failure that saw him spin out of second place at Imola earlier this year.
"I was thinking back, a little bit at Spa, but of course Imola," Verstappen said.
"I was keeping an eye on it on every straight. But luckily it was all good. The pace was still there, the tyres were still performing."
The result left Verstappen just nine points shy of second place in the final drivers' championship standings after recording four podium finishes in the last five races he finished.
Verstappen admitted he was surprised that Red Bull was able to outpace Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, but that it proved the need to start seasons stronger if it wanted to mount a title challenge.
"I didn't expect before I got here to win the race and be on pole," Verstappen said.
"I also read that they had to turn the engines down a bit, so of course that's not helping for them.
"In general, I think the car performed very strong, and I think better than expected, so of course very happy with that. It's a great way to finish the season, a good boost for everyone in the team.
"I just hope that we lean from the previous years that we have to be stronger in the beginning of the season to be able to give them a little bit of a harder time."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article McLaren retains third after Sainz escapes Abu Dhabi penalty
Next article Kvyat: No decision from AlphaTauri on F1 future "a shame"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen on GTWC Europe debut: “We’re here to win”
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 1 h
Max Verstappen on GTWC Europe debut: “We’re here to win”
Max Verstappen GTWC Europe debut: Everything you need to know
Formula 1
Formula 1 14 h
Max Verstappen GTWC Europe debut: Everything you need to know
Latest news
Max Verstappen on GTWC Europe debut: “We’re here to win”
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 1 h
Max Verstappen on GTWC Europe debut: “We’re here to win”
How to watch NASCAR at Phoenix II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
How to watch NASCAR at Phoenix II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
Ryan Ellis signs multi-year NASCAR O'Reilly deal with Alpha Prime Racing
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
1 h
Ryan Ellis signs multi-year NASCAR O'Reilly deal with Alpha Prime Racing
Ayao Komatsu: Rafael Camara chosen for F1 2027 seat on speed, not Ferrari links
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
8 h
Ayao Komatsu: Rafael Camara chosen for F1 2027 seat on speed, not Ferrari links
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe