Third place in qualifying for Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix, behind the entire McLaren front row. For the Dutchman, it’s a pleasant surprise
A good qualifying session for Max Verstappen, who set the third fastest time at the Australian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver held provisional pole for most of Q3 before being surpassed by the McLarens of Norris and Piastri. Despite this, the four-time world champion expressed satisfaction with his RB21, which, in his opinion, had improved progressively throughout the race weekend.
Verstappen’s words after qualifying
After a difficult start in free practice, Verstappen showed more competitiveness in qualifying, even surprising himself with the result: “Honestly, I’m quite surprised to be here after yesterday. I felt confident, in sync with the car. Clearly, we’re still lacking a bit of speed, but overall, I’m happy with my laps. I tried to extract the maximum, but the tires here are very sensitive with all these fast corners. I’m still happy with the result, though“.
When asked about the improvements made to the RB21, Verstappen explained: “We worked on the balance, trying to fine-tune some details. The car came to life a bit more, and it was quite good to drive, but simply too slow. Today we were a bit faster, but still not enough. However, being ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes is a positive sign “.
Despite starting from the second row, Verstappen doesn’t expect much from tomorrow’s race: “Our race pace? I don’t think we’ll be able to do much. I think it’s acceptable, but not at the level of the others. I’ll give it my all and we’ll see what happens tomorrow “.
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing