Pole-sitter Verstappen on track limits: 'Was surprised by it'

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ole-sitter Verstappen on track limits qualifying austria
30 June 2023 at 17:24
Last update 30 June 2023 at 17:49
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  • Toby McLuskie

Max Verstappen took his fourth pole position in a row in Austrian qualifying. The Dutchman saw Charles Leclerc come very close but ultimately proved less than half a tenth faster than his rival from Monaco. Verstappen said immediately afterwards that he had to fight hard for it, partly because of the strict track limits.

"It was very difficult with all the track limits. We don't do this on purpose, but with these speeds and high-speed corners it's so hard to judge the white line," Verstappen said in conversation with Jolyon Palmer on the grid after qualifying. "You could see a lot of people being caught out by it, including me. So, it was about surviving."

Red Bull is not there yet

Friday went well for Red Bull, but Verstappen knows he has nothing yet. The points will not be distributed until Saturday and Sunday. "[I'm] happy to be on pole, but it's still a long weekend," he said. To score points in the sprint race, he will also first have to deliver a good Sprint Shootout on Saturday afternoon.

"We know that this is a different weekend with the format. It's a different weekend, but happy with pole. We are quick and that is the most important [thing]," Verstappen concluded his story.