Following his win on Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, reigning World Champion Max Verstappen has admitted that there is never a time when he doesn’t “feel unbeatable”, following his third win of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
After only qualifying ninth, a fourth consecutive win on American soil didn’t look like an easy task for the 25-year-old; however, not for the first time this season his pace was unmatchable.
Verstappen breezed through the field despite having been on the hardest compound of tyre, before making a late pit-stop onto the Mediums.
He actually led the bulk of the race due to his and Sergio Perez’s differing strategies, with Verstappen having run the Hard compound until he pitted on Lap 45/57.
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His tyre management was exceptional, with Perez having often been slower than the Dutchman despite having fresher rubber.
Verstappen’s Hard tyres certainly performed “better than expected”, with him having emerged back onto the circuit following his pit-stop just under two-seconds behind Checo.
“It was better than expected, I guess,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“It was just really trying to understand a bit how they would last at the beginning. In the middle of that [first] stint, I was not sure, that’s why probably I was a bit slower than I could have been. But that also made me go fast at the end.
“So that’s why where I could extend my gap again. That of course, made my race because once I made the pit stop, I was only one and a half seconds behind and then, with a fresher compound, of course you can pass.”
Verstappen ultimately overtook Perez with ease in the closing stages, due to having switched to a fresh set of Mediums late on.
His third win from the opening five races saw his lead in the Drivers’ Championship extend to 14 points, with the two-time World Champion having also claimed the fastest lap.
Given how comfortably he ended up claiming the win, it’s easy to see why he is able to “feel unbeatable”, with the Red Bull driver continuously trying to be “as close as possible to perfect”.
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“I always feel unbeatable but sometimes other people also have a really good day and they can be close to you, match you, or be ahead,” Verstappen said.
“I think what is important is to try and be close to 100 per cent perfect every time.
“Yesterday wasn’t perfect, so this weekend wasn’t perfect, but it is a long season and I always try to be as close as possible to perfect.”