Verstappen praises Hamilton’s opening lap after his own slow start

After the São Paulo Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said Lewis Hamilton had a very good opening lap at Interlagos. Hamilton drove between the cars, Verstappen said, while he was held up and a little disappointed not to make the same progress.

At the FIA press conference after the race, Verstappen said his slow start was his own mistake: he had held the clutch incorrectly and had to react quickly. The slow launch left him stuck behind a group of cars running side by side through the first corners.

Hamilton started strongly from 20th but soon suffered a setback. Verstappen, who started 21st, passed car after car within two laps and finished second.