"Proper racing, proper pushing" - Max Verstappen discloses key to keeping Carlos Sainz behind during late stages of 2022 F1 Canadian GP

Max Verstappen believes a flawless run in the closing stages of the Canadian GP helped him fend off Carlos Sainz. The Dutchman felt he had to push the car to its limit and avoid a lot of errors to clinch the notable victory.

Describing the manner in which he kept Sainz at bay, the Dutchman said:

“Well, of course, you always have to make sure that you know the place where he had DRS, you have a good exit the corner before- but it was all about just really pushing to the limit and not making a mistake in general. Because I knew that even in Sector One, if I would have made a tiny mistake, Carlos would gain a tenth on me, and that might have been enough to then get closer in the first DRS zone, and then in the second you know..So yeah, it was proper racing, proper pushing. And I mean, I had my moments, where I had a bit of oversteer, and then I looked in the mirror and saw Carlos as having the same amount of moments. So, it was really on the edge, but that’s good to see.”

While making minimal errors, the Dutchman made sure he anticipated his rivals positioning in the DRS zones. Strategising his corner exit and pushing the car to its limits helped Max Verstappen fend off the Ferrari in the final stages of the race.

Sainz had the advantage of fresher tyres and straight-line speed but the Dutchman managed to keep him at bay until the chequered flag.

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Max Verstappen hopes F1 keeps returning to Montreal for the Canadian GP

The Dutchman enjoyed the old-school layout of the Montreal circuit, which has been missing from the calendar since 2019. Usually a Mercedes track, the Canadian venue often challenges cars that aren't powerful enough with their straight-line speed. However, with Red Bull being strong enough on the straights, Max Verstappen enjoyed a pole-to-victory weekend at the venue.

On F1’s return to Montreal after two years, the Dutch champion said:

“I always enjoyed coming here to Montreal, but we never really had a competitive package around here because we were always a bit slow on the straight. But luckily this year we seem quite competitive on the straights so I knew that this might..It was the first opportunity to really fight for a win and that just makes it that extra little bit more special to come here. ”

The Red Bull champion clinched his maiden victory at the Canadian venue, which had an enthralling end. The current result has Max Verstappen leading his teammate, Sergio Perez, by 46 points and Charles Leclerc by 49 points in the driver’s championship.