Verstappen proves why he is the highest paid F1 driver in Imola

So there he was again in his familiar spot during the press conference, sitting in the middle on the bench for the eighth time in a row on a Saturday - equalling Ayrton Senna's record. Who would have expected that on Saturday morning after the third free practice had finished? Although the RB20's set-up was much better than the day before, Verstappen was still not happy.

He said it honestly later in the day: a place in the top five was realistic, pole was not considered. But somehow Max Verstappen managed to excel again, as he has done so many times in his career. In fact, it's no longer a surprise. Verstappen is suddenly at one with his car, putting himself in first position on another occasion. 

Perez's struggles show how clever Verstappen's performance is

Verstappen's teammate did not even make it to Q3. So how much has the RB20 really improved since that dreadful Friday? Or was it mainly Verstappen's class that made it possible for Red Bull to celebrate Pole? It once again looks like the latter.

Speaking about the turnaround, Verstappen himself later said, "I would rather qualify eight-tenths ahead, but that's not possible. It is very enjoyable when you have a turnaround like we had. I was really excited about qualifying and really happy when we were on pole. I guess by that it was great that it was that close and that we really, really had to fight for it. But I would rather qualify with a lot in front."

"That's how it goes, right? I guess sometimes it's where everything really comes together and then the car becomes unbelievable to drive and it doesn't matter what you do, it just feels fantastic. And then you can do some really good things. I really like special laps, which have happened in the past, but this was also really cool." The Dutchman concluded.

Is Superman Verstappen heading for victory?

Meanwhile, in Red Bull's pit box, there was the realisation that their star had once again risen above all else. Knowing that it is almost impossible to overtake on Imola's narrow circuit, Verstappen is in a more than good position to take the Grand Prix victory on Sunday, even in a weekend that started so miserably.

There are plenty of good drivers in the world. Only a few are the absolute best. These drivers can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Nobody at all doubted that Verstappen is one of the very best ever, yet they too saw on Saturday afternoon in Imola how Verstappen delivers when he has to, even when he seems at a disadvantage. That makes Verstappen well worthy of that $76 million.