Max Verstappen never expected to claim pole in Qatar, praising Red Bull’s work for providing a car that exceeded his expectations.
Max Verstappen took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix ahead of George Russell. Qualifying sixth for the Sprint and finishing eighth in it, the Red Bull driver was surprised to find such performance from his RB20.
“This is crazy! I didn’t expect this, but credit to the team for giving me a car that feels more connected and allowed me to push harder in qualifying,” said the four-time world champion.
“We made a few changes to the car, but I never imagined it would have such a big impact on performance. It’s promising, and I hope it holds up in the race tomorrow. The car is already more stable on a single lap, and that’s exactly what we need. It’s nice to be on pole—it’s been a while.”
Verstappen did impede Russell in Q3, but it was during a slow lap for the Mercedes driver, which may be enough to preserve his pole position and avoid a penalty. The Dutch driver is, however, expecting a tough race.
“It’s going to be physically demanding, especially for the tires. We’ll need to be gentle with them—the front left wears out quickly, so managing that will be key tomorrow. But with the car we have, we’ll be better positioned to handle it.”
Asked about the biggest threat behind him, Verstappen acknowledged he would be wary of all his rivals given the close gaps: “It’s very tight behind, as we saw in the Sprint—Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari are all quick. We’re now in that pack, and I hope we’ll be in it tomorrow.”
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Verstappen Hails Red Bull Effort After Surprising Pole Verstappen Hails Red Bull Effort After Surprising Pole
