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verstappen after f1 qualifying gp united states 2023

Verstappen not sad about lost pole lap: 'Makes it a bit more fun'

21 October 2023 at 00:02
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  • GPblog.com

Max Verstappen missed out on pole in Formula 1 qualifying for the United States Grand Prix. The Dutchman set the fastest time, but lost it by going over the track limits. He is not terribly sad about it; in fact, Verstappen thinks it will make Sunday's race a bit more fun.

Verstappen loses pole due to track limits

Verstappen seemed to be back in control this weekend. With his RB19, Verstappen was fastest in the first free practice, but in qualifying he faced competition from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. With pain and effort, he managed to shave five thousandths off Leclerc's time, but soon saw a line through his pole time due to track limits. As a result, he will have to start Sunday's F1 race from sixth place.

"I knew in [Turn] 19 that it was going to be a close call. I had a little mistake in Turn 1. I had to really push for it in the rest of the lap. And yeah, it's fine margins. Honestly, I didn't even understeer. I just tried to really maximise the corner and I misjudged it by a little bit. But it's very fine margins when you're pushing to the limit. But of course, it's a bit unfortunate, but it makes the Sunday also a bit more fun."

As for his expectations for the GP in Austin, Verstappen is clear: "Of course, we want to win. So for sure, today was not ideal. But like I said, it's still a long race, so a lot of things we can do better. And yeah, have a bit of fun out there as well." he concluded on an upbeat note.

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