Max Verstappen quipped “If my mum had balls she would be my dad” over discussions he could’ve beaten Lando Norris in Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix in a fair duel.
Verstappen had appeared en route for a third successive triumph in Miami when he led from pole position and controlled the gap over the cars behind in the first stint.
However, the Dutchman’s race began to unravel when he inherited floor damage from hitting a cone on Lap 22 and then a Safety Car helped Norris manoeuvre ahead.
The three-time champion was unable to maintain pace with the McLaren on the restart and lagged 7.6 seconds behind the first-time race victor at the chequered flag.
However, Verstappen admitted that he had been stunned when he was told the “insane” lap times that Norris was managing on old Mediums prior to the intervention.
When asked whether he believed he would have still won without the free stop, Norris responded: “I didn’t know what the gap was, to be honest, before the Safety Car.
“It would have been tough. I would have had to overtake two Ferraris, Red Bull, Oscar [Piastri]. Oscar was doing a very good job, so hats off to him.”
Verstappen then followed up with his aforementioned one-liner, acknowledging that such mid-race interruptions will conspire to help some drivers more than others.
“I mean it’s always if, if, if right? If my mum had balls she would be my dad!” he quipped.
“Yeah, I mean it’s how it goes in racing. Sometimes it works out for you, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Verstappen, who still extended his championship lead as Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez came fourth, admitted that McLaren’s strong pace in the race was a shock.
“I mean, you win, you lose,” Verstappen said post-race. “I think we’re all used to that in racing, right?
“Today was just a bit tricky. I think already on the Mediums, I didn’t feel fantastic. We were pulling away but not like it should be.
“And then once we made the pit stop and I heard what lap times that McLaren were doing I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty quick.’
“Once they also switched on to the Hard tire, they just had more pace, and Lando, he was flying.
“It was incredibly difficult for us on that stint. But if a ‘bad’ day is P2, I’ll take it.”
The Red Bull driver expressed that he was delighted that it was long-time friend Norris who beat him to top spot in Miami as the Briton won in F1 at the 110th attempt.
“I’m very happy for Lando,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming and it’s not going to be his last one. He definitely deserves it today.”
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