30/10/2018
NEWS STORY
Over the course of twenty-four hours, emotions on both sides of the Red Bull garage couldn't have been more stark.
On Saturday, Daniel Ricciardo was grinning from ear to ear having taken a sensational pole, while teammate Max Verstappen, who had dominated every practice session but lost out on pole by 0.026s had a face like thunder.
Come Sunday afternoon and the Australian was looking for a wall to punch, while the Dutch youngster was celebrating a commanding win.
Talking to Ziggo Sport's 'Peptalk', Jos Verstappen has admitted that it was the anger and frustration of Saturday that helped fuel his son's performance a day later.
"Like Max, I was disappointed," said the veteran of 107 Grands Prix. "I phoned him before he went to bed and I tried to calm him down a bit because he was very angry that the car wasn't perfect. But in the end, a pole position is nice, but winning is more important.
"I talked to him on Sunday morning," added the Dutchman, who knows a little bit about anger himself. "Apparently he hadn't slept well at all. He was still frustrated that he missed out on pole because of the car. But usually when Max is angry, he drives even faster. He really wanted to make a point and win this race.
"The whole weekend he was dominant. I actually think it was better he started from second. If you look at Hamilton's start, he squeezed between the Red Bulls. If Max had pole, he would've been on the outside and Hamilton on the inside, instead of the other way around. So in the end, it worked out well. He knew how quick the Ferrari was going to be so he made sure there was no space for Vettel alongside him. It meant Vettel was boxed in."
However, Max' issues throughout the weekend, and the late retirement of his teammate, meant a nerve wracking last few laps.
"You keep thinking the same could happen to Max. Also, he wasn't on the coverage that much; I wasn't able to see his tyres, which gives a good indication if there are problems. But after the race, Max told me he had taken it easy. He didn't want to overheat the tyres. He told me he was cruising.
"What Hamilton does for the sport is amazing," admitted Verstappen Snr of the five-time world champion. "But now I want to see Max race against him. We've seen it here in Mexico but the Red Bull was the fastest car. Even if Hamilton had taken the lead after the first corner, I still think Max would've won."