Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
Verstappen impressed with Qatar GP comeback: 'A huge swing in performance'
Max Verstappen was quite surprised by the turnaround in his performance during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend. Verstappen finished just eighth in the spirit race on Saturday but came back to win the race on Sunday. The Red Bull driver, who secured his 63rd race win at the Lusail International Circuit, had actually been left quite surprised by his race-day performance.
"Yeah, I mean, the last few races in the dry, we haven't been particularly strong on managing the tyres. And that's why I was a little bit careful after qualifying. But yeah, it's been nice. I mean, it's still not where I would like it to be in terms of the behaviour of the car compared to, let's say, last year. But at least now, you know, we are back in a fight to win races. So if we can just learn from this year's car, take the positives, of course, from also last year and try to build a better car, I'm sure that we can be again very competitive next year," Verstappen began in the post-race press conference.
Verstappen on his Qatar Grand Prix comeback:
Verstappen went from being in no man's land in the sprint to winning the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull has previously improved their package at weekends, where they'd struggled on Friday and Saturday for the race. "It's probably been one of the biggest, yeah, where you're fighting Haas in the sprint to fighting for the win in the main race. So, yeah, it's been quite a big swing in performance," the reigning world champion concluded.
The final Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula One season is just around the corner. The Formula One circus will now travel to Abu Dhabi, where the season finale is scheduled. Verstappen, of course, hopes that he can take his tenth win of the season in the 24th and final race. Red Bull are already confirmed to finish third in the 2024 constructors championship, with McLaren and Ferrari set to battle it out at Yas Marina. Although it's not what Red Bull would've wanted, they'll be able to reap the benefits of more wind tunnel time.
This article was written in collaboration with Esteban den Toom
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!