It was a glorious day for Max Verstappen on Sunday, as he took first place in an intense and thrilling French Grand Prix. It was far from easy, but he fought back to overtake his “nemesis” Lewis Hamilton and take a valuable victory that extends his championship lead.
The race was entertaining, but above all unpredictable. Verstappen had initially taken the lead, but gave it away to Hamilton after making a mistake in the first corner of the race.
The Red Bull driver ran off the track and that allowed Hamilton to take control. It seemed to be a dream (and unexpected) opportunity for the Stevenage-born driver, who was in control for a while, with Verstappen chasing in second.
The two drivers engaged in a furious see-saw battle that could and did go down to the smallest of details.
Unexpectedly, towards the end of the race, the Briton would eventually “return the favour” to the Dutchman.
At one point, Verstappen and his Red Bull team opted for an extra pit stop. This might seem crazy, as it meant sacrificing first place.
However, this move allowed him to come back at Hamilton on fresher tyres to pass the Mercedes with two laps to go and, eventually, take a win that increased his championship lead to 12 points.
