"He made very short work of that" - Red Bull boss praises Max Verstappen's pass on Lewis Hamilton

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner recently spoke about how Max Verstappen dominated the 2023 Australian GP despite it being a chaotic race with three red flags. He also praised the Dutchman for not wasting time and overtaking Lewis Hamilton with ease.

Horner explained how the race panned out for Verstappen as he fought with both Mercedes drivers after the first start. Even though George Russell took the lead, Horner noted how patient Verstappen was in keeping the pace while still being clean enough. The Red Bull team boss said:

"I think we pulled out a 10-second gap and then were managing it on Lewis. Max had to make the pass on Lewis. The two Mercedes were fast-starting; they (were) both very aggressive on the first lap, (with) Max showing great patience really to not get embroiled; then they started having a go at each other."

When Russell pitted and the red flag came out, it greatly benefitted Red Bull, as Verstappen only had Hamilton to pass and take back the lead. As the RB19 is by far the fastest car on the grid, the overtake was not an issue for the Dutchman. Horner concluded:

"Then they pitted George; then the red flag came out, and then it was just a straight fight between Max and Lewis, and he made very short work of that. It was a question of controlling the race from that point onwards."

Despite the race getting red flagged several times, Verstappen kept himself in front simply because of the massive performance difference between the RB19 and other cars on the grid as he won his first race in Australia.

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Max Verstappen sums up his battle with Mercedes at 2023 Australian GP

Max Verstappen recently explained how he won against both Mercedes drivers at the 2023 Australian GP.

As both Hamilton and Russell qualified right behind Verstappen, they wasted no time after the start and immediately made aggressive moves to overtake the reigning world champion. The Dutchman told ViaPlay after the race:

"I was careful, but on the other hand, I obviously have a lot to lose on that first lap, and they obviously try to race very aggressively because they know they are slower. If I have damage, then of course, my whole race is over.

"Of course, you don't want to lose any spots, but in the end, you see that it doesn't matter much for me. I was very careful, maybe a little too careful. On the other hand, you could see that they were going full out, and even if I had driven along on the outside, they would have tried to make it very difficult for me."

Verstappen understood the reason for their aggression and patiently waited for his move. Russell's race got ruined after the first red flag, and Hamilton was easily overtaken by the Red Bull driver.