Max Verstappen revealed that he took a “risk” in the final stages of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix when he decided to return to using slick tires after a period of using intermediate tires. The current world champion was in fifth place in the 12th race of this year’s F1 season, but recovered spectacularly to claim second place.

Verstappen struggled in dry conditions and had to “survive” when it started to rain, before revived in the final laps. “I also don’t want to risk too much because it doesn’t feel good,” Verstappen revealed to some media. “I felt uncomfortable. So I thought, ‘I’ll just sit here and try to survive’. And yeah, that’s what I did.” However, after installing intermediate tires, Verstappen began to accelerate and take more risks. The biggest risk happened on lap 39, when he followed Lewis Hamilton into the pits to return to slick tires.

Verstappen was in constant communication with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (GP), discussing the weather and the type of tires needed at specific moments in the race. “I regularly discuss with the GP and radar, he always gives me the information he has in the best possible way,” said Verstappen. “And of course, as a driver, at some point, if you feel you can’t continue on the slick car or you think it’s time to go for the Inter, you have to shout over the radio that I’m about to join.”

Important call
Verstappen decided to return to slick tires right on the lap with Hamilton when the rain stopped, and a dry track quickly formed at Silverstone. Unlike Hamilton and Lando Norris who chose soft tires in the final laps, Verstappen chose Pirelli’s hard compound.

This was a decisive choice for the Dutch racer, because he had the speed to overtake Norris for second place. However, Hamilton was out of reach. However, the timing of his final pit-stop was perfectly calculated by the world champion and Red Bull. “But by the end of the day it was sunny, the track was still drying quite quickly after the last few days and I took a little risk,” Verstappen added. “Not 100% sure if this was the right lap, but we tried and in the end it was the right lap.”