Max Verstappen was the best placed of the Red Bull-backed drivers on Sunday, with the Dutchman finishing eighth for Scuderia Toro Rosso at the Red Bull Ring.
The Dutch teenager secured his first points since the second round of the season in Malaysia, and admitted that he enjoyed his afternoon, having run as high as sixth early in the race after getting the better of Valtteri Bottas’ Williams at the start.
“I’m happy with today’s race, I think we did everything we could and had some good fights,” said Verstappen. “I enjoyed every lap to be honest!
“The car worked really well and especially the last few laps were quite exciting. We were very close to ending in P7, but I’m very happy with P8, it’s a great result for the whole team. We’ve learned more about the tyres and I think that the updates we brought are positive, so all in all, everything felt really good in the race today.
“I’m also happy to have finally scored some more points, especially here at the Red Bull Ring”
Verstappen admitted he was enjoying the battle with Pastor Maldonado for seventh in the closing stages, admitting he was expecting the Lotus driver to pass him sooner than he did as he struggled with his tyres.
“I was enjoying it,” said Verstappen to Autosport. “I couldn’t see what happened [in the end]. I couldn’t look because I was trying to control the car.
“With the pace he had I thought maybe two laps and he’s gone. But I kept him behind for a few laps and it was really enjoyable.”
