Max Verstappen has insisted he's pleased to get 'good points' on the board for Red Bull despite his failure to win the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Dutchman, who is looking to win the F1 title for the fifth year in a row, finished either side of Lando Norris and George Russell on after impressing in rain-soaked conditions in Melbourne.
Verstappen, speaking to Sky Sports, has now provided his verdict on the day.
And though he was unable to reign supreme, the 27-year-old made it clear he was more than satisfied with his performance.
Max Verstappen has insisted he's pleased to get 'good points' on the board for Red Bull despite his failure to win the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday
REUTERS
"It was a difficult race, of course," he said.
"But at the end it was fun. Lando had a little moment on entry of Turn 6, so he lost a lot of momentum there, so that’s what I got close and then I got the DRS.
"I got close but it’s very hard to pass around here, but it was fun. Those last laps, pushing, at least when you’re fighting for the win.
"I’m just very happy to bring it home, score good points, and this is a decent starting point for us."
Much has been made about Red Bull's car for the 2025 campaign and how it compares to previous years.
Verstappen, when quizzed on his vehicle, added: "I think it is how I expected it to be.
"You can see on that first stint we were lacking a bit of pace to the McLaren, but it’s still 18 points more than I had here last year, so I’ll take that."
F1 fans are clearly in for a classic this year, with the rivalry between Norris and Verstappen just getting started.
Max Verstappen was unable to reel in Lando Norris at the Australian Grand Prix
SKY
Norris, who secured the prize after shining in qualifying, admitted that Verstappen was on his mind throughout the event.
"Max was quick," he said.
"I knew I had good pace but I made one mistake at Turn 6 and he got within DRS. That allowed him to stay within that one second.
"He had a couple of looks, I had to check my mirror a few more times then I would have liked but I stayed calm, kept it together and listened to Will (his engineer)."
McLaren chief Zak Brown, meanwhile, hailed Norris for an 'unbelievable drive' - while also expressing sympathy for Oscar Piastri, who could only finish ninth.
"Unbelievable drive," he said.
"The team called a perfect strategy in very difficult conditions.
"I feel terrible for Oscar. They both came up on the rain at the same time and Lando collected it up.
Max Verstappen feels he got some 'good points' for Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix
REUTERS
"Oscar drive great to get back to P9. It was an exciting race.
"The team did a great job, everyone back at McLaren have built a proper race car."
