Max Verstappen praised the upgraded Red Bull RB20 as he returned to winning ways during the Formula 1 Sprint at the United States Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Dutchman took pole after edging Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.012s in Friday’s Sprint Qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas and on Saturday, led from lights to flag.
The victory ensured Verstappen maintained his 100% winning record in Sprints this year.
It was Verstappen’s first win of any kind since the Austrian Sprint at the Red Bull Ring and with the RB20 running with upgrades at Austin this weekend, the Dutchman felt the car was back in an optimal window.
“I’m happy, yeah it’s been quite a few races where we were just looking behind, you know, never really being able to attack, and now finally the car had more performance, I could push a bit harder,” Verstappen explained in the post-Sprint press conference.
“The car felt more together, and I think that is what we have been lacking.
“I mean, over one lap you can mask a lot of issues, but then of course in the race you need a balanced car, which was a bit of a struggle for us the last few races, and now today it was definitely a lot better.”
Max Verstappen wary of Ferrari’s race pace ahead of Sunday’s US GP
When it comes to Grands Prix, Verstappen and Red Bull are still winless in eight events, but Saturday’s Sprint victory is a sign of a turning tide.
Asked to explain how Red Bull has managed its difficult mid-season slump, Verstappen said “I think what has been very important for us in the last few races is to remain calm and just work on the problems and that’s what we have done as a team.
“Just focus on ourselves. That’s the only thing that you can influence and control.”
Verstappen finished 3.8s ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Sprint, with Lando Norris sandwiched between the Ferrari duo as Charles Leclerc finished fourth.
With a full race distance ahead on Sunday, Verstappen was wary of Ferrari’s Sprint race pace as he pondered what it will take to end his GP winless-run.
“I think over the whole race distance today, I think Ferrari was very fast,” Verstappen said.
“From our side, yeah, we’ll look into things to improve going into qualifying, but it’s a bit difficult to tell at the moment how we would be on full fuel.”
READ MORE: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruises to F1 US GP Sprint victory
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