Max Verstappen, from Red Bull Racing, secured pole position for the 2024 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix after making some unexpected adjustments to his car before the Q3 session. Despite a good start to the season, Red Bull had been struggling against Ferrari at Albert Park. Verstappen had not led in any of the previous sessions, but he made two impressive laps to surpass Carlos Sainz and claim the top spot by 0.270s.
Verstappen admitted he was surprised by his pole position, stating that he was very happy with his performance in Q3. He described his two laps as very good and enjoyable. The weekend had been challenging for him up to that point, but he was pleased they managed to come out on top in the end.
Although the car was subject to parc ferme regulations, Verstappen revealed they made some subtle adjustments to the RB20 before Q3, which made a significant difference. He explained that finding a good balance in the car had been difficult throughout the weekend and even in the previous qualifying sessions, he did not feel he was fighting for pole position. However, the changes they made helped him push the car to the limit in Q3.
Verstappen acknowledged there are still areas to improve, but he was satisfied with his overall performance. He mentioned that Red Bull had to work harder to find the ideal set-up in the car compared to the two previous weekends. Qualifying was still challenging for him in Q1 and Q2, but they made small adjustments throughout the session, allowing him to push harder and make a difference.
Verstappen believes Ferrari has reduced the gap to Red Bull at this track, but he thinks the different starts of the teams have distorted the competitive picture.
“It might be because we weren’t on top of things, but they seemed well adjusted from the start, while we had a bit of the opposite situation and managed to improve.”
“The race will be challenging with the softest tires we have this year. We will find out tomorrow.”
However, Verstappen, who lost part of FP2 due to a floor change, is cautious about Sainz next to him, considering Ferrari’s promising pace in practice.
When asked if he felt unprepared due to the earlier interruptions, he replied: “Not really, we did quite a bit even this morning. So, in that sense, I don’t think so.”
“It’s just a bit harder to find a good balance in the car. We will find out tomorrow if it will be good enough in the race, as Ferrari also seems very fast and comfortable throughout the weekend. I hope tomorrow’s race will be interesting.”
