WATCH: The Brilliant Piece of Racing and Overtaking that Won Max Verstappen the Action of the Year Award

Published 12/09/2019, 10:03 AM EST

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is a driver who races without any fear and can pull off gutsy moves. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc found that out first hand at the 2019 British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

On lap 10, Verstappen was right on the gearbox of the Ferrari and was actively sniffing out a position. The two were practically nose-to-tail for much of the lap, with Leclerc defending like his life depended on it. A lap later, Max Verstappen was still harrying the Ferrari and getting more and more threatening.

Then, the Dutchman struck, diving down the inside of the Ferrari, but Leclerc had the inside line for the next corner and held firm. Verstappen was forced to back off, but he was so engrossed in the battle ahead that he forgot about Sebastian Vettel sneaking up behind him.

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The Dutchman saw off the threat, while his own teammate, Pierre Gasly caught up to Vettel. A couple of laps later, both Leclerc and Verstappen pitted for fresh tires and they were once again nose-to-tail.

In the battle of the pit crews, the lighting-quick Red Bull team barely got Max Verstappen ahead. The Red Bull edged ahead, until he slithered a little with his cold tyres, and Charles Leclerc was not about to say no to an open invitation.

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The battle continued and the two went hammer and tongs and threw everything into their attacks and defence. Even by lap 18, the rock-solid Ferrari wall remained impenetrable, as Verstappen discussed his next plan of attack with the team.

After the second round of pit stops, Verstappen leap-frogged Leclerc, but soon, the Monegasque driver fought back. It got to a point where Verstappen was even forced off the track in the heat of the moment. Max Verstappen won the battle, but later on, Charles Leclerc won the war, with a podium, to the Dutchman’s 5th place. However, for the titanic dogfight, Max Verstappen won the FIA Action of the Year Award.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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