Max Verstappen reacts after making F1 history with Italian Grand Prix win - 'Never would have believed'
Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix to help Red Bull maintain their stunning F1 record this season
REUTERS
Max Verstappen has spoken out after winning the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Red Bull star finished ahead of Sergio Perez and Carlos Saint to clock up his 10th win in a row.
Verstappen was too strong for the rest of the competition and has now taken another step towards winning a third F1 title in a row.
The 25-year-old's victory also means Red Bull have maintained their stunning record, with the team winning all 13 races so far this season.
Max Verstappen was outstanding as the 25-year-old won the Italian Grand Prix
PA
Sainz was initially in pole position but, after being overtaken on lap 15, could only manage a third-placed finish.
Brit Lewis Hamilton managed to come sixth, despite a five-second penalty for a collision with Oscar Piastri.
And Verstappen has now spoken out, admitting he never believed winning 10 races in a row was possible.
“I never would have believed this [10 wins in a row] was possible,” said the Red Bull star.
“Carlos had a lot of topspeed and it was so hard to get a move so I had to force a mistake which I got on turn one when he locked up.
"I could see they were struggling with their rear tyres so I iust had to pick my moment.
"I had a few issues towards the end but we got there.”
Sainz also spoke out, with the 29-year-old voted as Sky Sports' driver of the day.
“It was very tough out there, it cannot get any tougher, and I ended up paying the price with my rear tyres," he lamented.
Sainz then spoke about his rivalry with Charles Leclerc, too.
“He’s a great racer, we had fun out there today and I hope you guys enjoyed it," he said.
"We need to be focusing on our pace and our tyres as we were just lacking a bit of pace but we want to be best of the rest and I think we’re getting there.”
Verstappen now has a lead of 145 points at the top of the F1 standings.
And he's surpassed former Red Bull star Sebastian Vettel, who previously won nine races in a row in 2013.
As for his Red Bull team-mate, Perez, the Spaniard was delighted at the way the team performed.
"It was the maximum we could have achieved today, it was so difficult to overtake, a lot harder than we really thought," he said.
"It was really insane because I had to use a lot of my tyres.
"In the end we managed to get both of them.
"I think we’ve done a lot of progress. On the setup side I’m feeling a lot more comfortably in the car.
"So I do expect that we will see the best form in the next races."
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Max Verstappen was delighted after helping Red Bull shine at the F1 Italian Grand Prix
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Verstappen, Perez and Sainz will all be looking to win at the Singapore Grand Prix later this month.
That event is due to take place on September 17.