Pole in front of home fans is "never that straightforward" for Verstappen
F1 News
Max Verstappen has delighted the home fans attending the Dutch Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver qualified on pole and maintains his 100% P1 record in the meaningful sessions at Zandvoort since the event returned in 2021.
Verstappen was favourite for pole position and is looking for a record-equalling ninth consecutive victory in Sunday's Grand Prix. Verstappen is in a period of dominance, but he confirms it's not as easy as it looks, especially in front of his home crowd.
"It's always nice in front of your home crowd to take pole position. They come here, and they expect you to do it, but it's not always that easy and especially with a qualifying like this, it's never that straightforward, and you always need to be out at the right time, but luckily we did that," Verstappen said.
Verstappen will have Lando Norris alongside him on the grid. The last time that happened, Norris won the battle going into turn one at Silverstone. He believes overtaking is possible around Zandvoort.
"When you have the pace in the car, you can overtake. Even though of course, on this track it's a little bit harder than maybe on some other tracks if you're really fast, you will be able to pass," he added.
Eight poles in 2023
Verstappen now has eight pole positions during the 2023 season, though it is his first P1 start since the British Grand Prix. Verstappen has experienced a lot of success despite very challenging conditions. The Dutchman summaries his best pole positions of the season so far.
"I've had a few good ones. Well, I guess Spa didn't count, so that was probably also really satisfying, but we've had a lot of these qualifying lately where we start in the wet, go to the dry. It's always quite entertaining, I think," Verstappen concluded.