Verdict: Verstappen has more time left than showed in qualifying

Verstappen was miles ahead of the rest of the field during the first free practice session. Only in the final minute Hamilton and Lando Norris came close, but they too were still over seven-tenths behind. 

Does qualifying give a distorted picture?

Mercedes was ecstatic with the first place of Hamilton, and not without reason. The German team was in desperate need of a strong result and will draw a lot of motivation from this. However, there are a number of factors that may have played a role, which could have altered the balance of power on Saturday and Sunday.

Qualifying took place in the early evening, with the temperature of the tarmac significantly lower than during practice in the afternoon. This was one of the reasons why Verstappen had problems with his front tyres, which failed to reach the right temperature. He also suffered from understeer. The Red Bull Racing driver said he didn't expect the same problems in the sprint race and the main race, because of the different conditions.

However, there is also something to be said for the form Mercedes showed. They brought updates for this Grand Prix, but Toto Wolff stated that these were not the reason for the good result in qualifying. Still, the team may have found something, and that has caused a breakthrough.

And so the next proposal: Does Verstappen have more left than was shown in qualifying, or did Mercedes have a breakthrough and are they back on track?