Max Verstappen explains why he started the 2023 F1 Spanish GP on medium tires

Max Verstappen recently explained why he and Red Bull chose to start the 2023 F1 Spanish GP on medium tires instead of softs, which were much faster. A few people were surprised to see the Dutchman starting on medium tires while several other drivers, who were a threat to Verstappen, were on softs.

When asked about the tire choice in the drivers' press conference after the Spanish GP, race winner Max Verstappen initially stated that the performance difference between a medium and a soft tire was very similar for him.

Hence, he chose the medium tire to simply extend his stint and easily pit after creating a gap from the pack.

"Yeah, for me, it was just very close between a medium or soft. The life of a medium is probably a little bit better than the soft tire. That's why I decided to start on the medium," Verstappen said.

Furthermore, when asked about whether the RB19 had more juice than Max Verstappen could have squeezed if he was being chased by any driver, the reigning world champion admitted that he could have increased the performance by degrading the tires more quickly.

Of course, it was not necessary since he was miles ahead of every driver in the race.

"I guess so. If you had to try and catch up, let's say, probably yes. But it's not necessary. It's all about managing your tires trying to reach the stint length," Verstappen concluded.

Despite starting on medium tires, Max Verstappen was able to pull a massive lead of 29 seconds in the race and easily pit for hard tires. The Red Bull driver comfortably won the Spanish GP with a 23-second lead.

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Max Verstappen delighted to continue his dominance after winning the 2023 F1 Spanish GP

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen continues to clear the field by winning yet another race, this time in Spain. The Red Bull RB19 is currently unstoppable by any other team on the grid, no matter how significant an upgrade package they bring.

Speaking about his drive in the Spanish GP to Nico Rosberg in Parc Ferme, Verstappen initially praised the car and spoke a bit about how his team chose the right tire strategy throughout the race, which allowed him to win comfortably.

"It's a big pleasure, you know, to drive with a car like this. And I think yeah, it showed again today. We had quite a lot of different tyre strategies out there. I think for most of the race we were on the right one. But again, a win here is incredible," Verstappen said.

Max Verstappen is currently leading the championship with 170 points. The Dutchman has increased the gap with his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, who sits in second place with 117 points.