Red Bull’s Max Verstappen relieved to hold off Carlos Sainz challenge at ‘really exciting’ Canadian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen celebrated his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal but acknowledged there was an ‘exciting’ finish to the race.

The Dutchman was largely in control of the race from the opening lap but midway through the race he came out of the pits behind Lewis Hamilton and into third place which posed a minor inconvenience.

The race got more stressful later in Montreal when he had to hold off a spirited late challenge from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, but he was able to hold on for the win, extending his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to 46 points.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Verstappen explained that a safety car period also held up his chance to pull away from the pack.

“The safety car didn’t help,” he said. “Overall, they [Ferrari] were very quick in the race, so it would have been really tough for me to close that gap at the end even on fresher tyres.

“But it was really exciting at the end – I was giving it everything I had and, of course, Carlos was doing the same. I could see he was pushing and charging, but when you’re on the DRS it’s a lot easier to charge. The last few laps were a lot of fun.

“Luckily, this year, we seem really quick on the straights so that helps a lot.”

Sainz meanwhile was content with second place, which marked a reasonable comeback for Ferrari after recent struggles, and his teammate Charles Leclerc secured fifth after starting from the back of the grid.

“I was pushing flat out, I wasn’t leaving any inches to the walls, the breaking and I was pushing everything with the battery,” Sainz said. “I tried to pass Max.

“The positive thing is that we were quicker, faster all race and it just [needs] that little bit more to overtake around here.

“Honestly, we tried everything and we were very, very close to winning today. I will take the positives and keep trying in the next one.”