Max Verstappen was unable to surpass the Ferraris in qualifying for the Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix, finishing third, 0.378s behind Charles Leclerc’s pole position. As the second-place finisher, Carlos Sainz, was penalized ten places, the three-time world champion will start in second.
In statements to the official F1 website, the Red Bull driver said he expects a different scenario in the race, considering that in qualifying he did the best he could: ‘I think tomorrow will be very different. The tires will be hot for longer, and usually we are very good in the long distance – I think yesterday everything looked very good. But on one lap, clearly we lack a bit, but honestly it’s not really a surprise. I think if you look at the track layout, low grip, many heavy braking zones, 90º corners, and many low-speed corners that simply are not our strong point this year, and we know that. So we tried to do the best we could, and I think in Q3 we definitely did the best we could. So, in the end, third place – second for tomorrow, of course – is a good result overall’.
When asked if he believes in his chances of winning the race, Verstappen replied: ‘I think if they have a little more degradation than us, for sure. Tomorrow will be all about the tires, it will be all about who grinds less and later in the stint. That is definitely the most important thing to stay on top tomorrow’.
