Verstappen: Everything was under control, I could attack

      Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix — for him it was vitally important to remain among the title contenders. And the four-time world champion handled the task brilliantly...

      Max Verstappen (1st): "It was a good race! Before the start we didn't know how the tyres would behave, and even during the race it was clear that everyone was trying to find the right rhythm and figure out how hard they could attack, especially in the first stint.

      But everything worked out quite well, although we've had it tougher in this race before. Usually at this track our car hasn't worked best with the tyres, but it seems that today everything was under control and I could attack more aggressively.

      Because of that the pace was a bit higher, I could stay out longer, so we split the race into two halves, and that definitely helped us. The car was working pretty well, much more to my liking, and toward the finish I managed to build a decent gap because there was no longer any need to save the tyres.

      It's better not to think about the title yet — the deficit is still big, but we always try to achieve the best possible result, and that's our priority. We'll try to win both remaining races, and after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix we'll see how it all ends.

      But I'm very proud of our whole team, because the season has unfolded in different ways; there were tough periods, but also great moments, and this year has taught us a lot. We need to keep improving, so we'll try to start the next championship more confidently. But we're enjoying what's happening now too!..

      This is my 69th win, but I like the number 169, so I feel I'll have to stay in Formula 1 for a long time!"