Max Verstappen, who put in a brilliant performance to win the Canadian Grand Prix on Wednesday, heaped praise on Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr for pushing him till the very end.

Verstappen went into the race on Sunday having secured pole position in an outstanding qualifying session the day before.

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Sunday’s race marked the 150th start of Verstappen’s career, an occasion which he marked by helping Red Bull Racing secure their sixth win a row, and their seventh of the 2022 Formula One season.

Commenting on the victory, which helped the Dutch-Belgian driver open up a 46 point lead in the drivers’ table, Verstappen said, “Overall, they [Ferrari] were very quick in the race, so it would have been really tough for me to close that gap at the end even on fresher tyres,” adding that the safety car “didn’t help” him win.

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“But it was really exciting at the end – I was giving it everything I had and, of course, Carlos was doing the same. I could see he was pushing and charging, but when you’re on the DRS it’s a lot easier to charge. The last few laps were a lot of fun,” the 26-year-old added, speaking after the race.

“Luckily, this year, we seem really quick on the straights so that helps a lot,” Verstappen concluded, commending the Red Bull Racing team for the competitive car.

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Sainz Jr, for his part, said he rued the missed opportunity, having had a brilliant race himself.

“We were quicker, faster all race, but it’s difficult to overtake round here. I’m particularly happy with the race pace and with the pressure we put on Max,” the 27-year-old Spaniard said after the race.

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The 2022 F1 season thus far has been characterised by stiff competition between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, with the former having distanced itself at the top with recent wins.

Ferrari, however, boast a decent car of their own and will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in the British Grand Prix on July 3.