Motor racing-Toro Rosso glad I ignored orders, says Verstappen

By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Dutch teenager Max Verstappen said he had the support of Toro Rosso bosses after ignoring team orders to claim a stunning eighth place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday despite stalling at the start. The 17-year-old had qualified in eighth but quickly fell a lap down after his car faltered, but the rookie stormed back to eighth with five laps remaining only for team officials to ask the youngster to allow Carlos Sainz through. Vertsappen refused and led his Spanish team mate over the line to take the eight points and move on to 30 and 11th place in the drivers standings, 19 points ahead of Sainz. "If you are one lap down and you manage to be back in the points as the leading Toro Rosso, for me there was no reason to switch positions," Verstappen told reporters. "After the second time I think I made it quite clear I didn't want to do it. At the end it was the right decision. "No debrief yet but I have spoken to the team and they said good decision." Verstappen received a warm embrace from Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost after speaking with reporters, backing up claims all was well in the camp, and joked his father Jos, a former Formula One driver, had said he would have kicked his son had he let Sainz through. The rookie was more coy on relations with Sainz, however, adding he did not think the Spaniard was angry with him. Sainz earlier said he felt he should have been given the chance to pass and push the Force India of Sergio Perez for seventh place. "This year I have let him by three or four times. He was told to let me by four times and didn't. It's a bit of a pain," he told the BBC. Verstappen said his team mate was not quick enough to pass the Mexican. "Both of us we couldn't get past. The (Force India) speed was unbelievable," he said. "If you are on different strategies it is quite clear, let him go, but we are on the same strategy." The incident threatened to overshadow a super debut display by the sport's youngest ever driver under the floodlights on the notoriously tight 23-turn Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Dutchman said the anger of the early stall helped him as he stormed through the field, aided by two safety car stops, to finish in the points. "One lap behind but from there on I didn't give up, I was very angry of course and I think at the beginning of the race the pace was amazing," he said. "I was flying, the car was really good. That is what I needed. It was very enjoyable, the cars in front of me, passing them on very tricky corners, so yeah great race, a lot of fun." (Editing by Ken Ferris)