Verstappen describes 'hardest 10 laps'
| 1. | L. Hamilton | 1:31:05.296 |
| 2. | S. Vettel | +5.011 |
| 3. | V. Bottas | +46.422 |
12 June 2016 – Max Verstappen says he experienced the "hardest 10 laps" of his career as he kept Nico Rosberg at bay in the Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen jumped ahead of Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo at the start and held a podium position for the majority of the race.
Verstappen dropped behind Williams' Valtteri Bottas as he switched to a two-stop strategy, but defended from Rosberg to keep fourth.
Rosberg challenged on multiple occasions along the straights, before spinning out at the final chicane and settling for fifth position.
"We did what we could today and that was a great job," said Verstappen.
"We wanted to finish on the podium in front of the Williams but soon realised we were suffering with a bit too much tyre degradation. I think a little bit of rain could have helped us.
"I am very satisfied with my performance but also with the new power unit, you could see it was hard for the Mercedes to try and pass on the long straight so we are making good progress.
"The last 10 laps I really enjoyed – I would actually say they were the hardest 10 laps of my life. I was in fourth for a very long time so I didn't want to give up that position.
"It was a very hard battle at the end of the race, his [Rosberg's] pace was very strong but we managed to keep ahead and then the last lap [with Rosberg's spin] was pretty spectacular.
"After Monaco it's nice to leave this race with a big smile on my face."
