Max Verstappen was the author of the pole position for the São Paulo Formula 1 Grand Prix. In yesterday’s qualifying at Interlagos, he was nearly three tenths faster than Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) before the rain arrived, preventing the conclusion of Q3.
The Dutchman mentioned that in the first two phases of qualifying, he was forced to use more tires: ‘Despite the difficult weather conditions, it was great to finish on pole. In Q1 and Q2, the gaps between the cars were close, and we ended up using some of our tire sets.’
Regarding Q3 and the weather conditions, Verstappen admitted that they had a significant impact on the car due to the strong wind: ‘When we lined up for Q3, it was possible to see that the sky was dark. When we went out, the first sector was fine, but the rain started to arrive, the wind increased in intensity, and changed direction in the intermediate section, which made it difficult to drive. But the team told me to keep pushing. I have never seen something that had such an influence on the car’s balance, but ultimately it was still a great result and positions us well for Sunday.’
Regarding Saturday’s day, the already champion commented: ‘For the sprint race, we will try to do our best, as I think the Sprint Shootout will be tight.’
