Verstappen surprised by Red Bull team, but doesn't expect miracle on Sunday
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In the end, Helmut Marko turned out to be right: Max Verstappen did finish on the second row of the grid. The Dutchman was therefore positively surprised, and also explained what changed after Friday's free practice session.
Red Bull surprises Verstappen
On Friday, Max Verstappen was not quite optimistic, saying he'd be surprised to match Red Bull top advisor Helmut Marko's verdict on Friday. "We had a bit of a tough start. This has never really been a good track to us, I think, as well. So it took a bit of time to understanding and how we can improve the situation, and, we did that today."
Still, the four-time world champion remained surprised to finish inside the Top 3. "Honestly, I'm quite surprised that he's sitting here after yesterday. I felt confident [today]. I felt one with the car, but, yes, of course, clearly, we're still lacking a bit of pace. But, overall, happy with the laps in qualifying. I mean, tried to really extract everything. Tyres are quite sensitive around here as well with all these high-speed corners. But, I'm happy to be here."
When asked about what did the team work on, Verstappen joked: "On the car." He continued: "Just trying to fine tune balance, things. And, the car just came alive a little bit more. It was, in general, quite okay to drive, but just too slow. And, today, it was a little bit a little bit faster, but clearly still not fast enough. But still to be ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes, I think, is good for us," he gave his verdict.
About the upcoming Grand Prix, Verstappen does not expect to match the McLarens just too far ahead. "I don't expect miracles from it. I think it's okay, but I don't think it's on the same level, but I'll just do my best to see what happens tomorrow," Verstappen concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden
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