Max Verstappen left his fellow drivers and Formula One fans in stitches of laughter after giving a hilarious response following Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix defeat.
The reigning Red Bull world champion had to settle for second in America as McLaren’s Lando Norris clinched a first GP victory during an eventful race that also saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finish third.
There were more muted celebrations than Red Bull have become used to as the sport’s dominant garage had to settle for second on the podium, but Verstappen was still in good spirits as he entered the post-race press conference.
Fresh from spraying his close-friend, Norris, with champagne follow the race at the Miami International Autodrome, Verstappen was asked for his verdict on how his McLaren rival had won.
Norris used a late safety car to his advantage as Verstappen pitted under the safety car, to beat the dominant Dutchman by 7.6 seconds on Sunday.
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Max Verstappen left his fellow drivers in stitches of laughter after giving a hilarious response following Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix defeat
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Verstappen (left) soaked race winner Lando Norris (middle) with champagne during celebrations
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Norris (orange car) finished ahead of Verstappen (rear) to win a maiden F1 Grand Prix
When asked whether the result would have been different if the safety car hadn’t been brought out, Verstappen bluntly replied: ‘ It’s always if, if, if, if my mum had b***s, she’d be my dad.’
The unusual response momentarily stunned Norris and Leclerc along with members of the congregated press before fits of laughter could be heard breaking out around the room.
‘I mean that’s how it goes in racing, some time it works, sometimes it doesn’t,’ Verstappen briefly continued as he offered a deeper explanation to the original question.
Despite finishing second, the result does little in terms of changing Verstappen’s place at the top of the ongoing drivers championship standings where he holds a 33-point lead over Red Bull colleague Sergio Perez.
Norris – who arrived in Miami sporting a gruesome facial injury following an accident while partying in Amsterdam in the build-up to the race weekend – was able to offer a lengthier response when asked about his victory.
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Verstappen joined Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the post-race press conference
He said: ‘I don’t know what I’m feeling! I’m just happy, proud. It feels like it’s been a long time coming. I feel like we’ve had many opportunities. We’ve been getting closer and closer.
‘We’ve never been able to put it all together and today was that day. We’ve been good all weekend. As much as we had some setbacks – Friday Qualifying, the Sprint, not the best Qualifying on Saturday, I stayed positive. And that’s rare!
‘It all just came together. We were quick all day. I had a good strategy, a good plan. I stayed out of the way of trouble in Turn One because it was very close. I just focused on our race and we were quick.
‘Of course, we got a bit lucky with the Safety Car. But even after, the pace was the best on track by quite a long way. I have to say thanks to the team. Without this, it wouldn’t be possible,’ he added.
