Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen is not feeling comfortable heading into race day at Imola, despite claiming pole on a Saturday afternoon where he would have been happy with top five.
Although Verstappen had not made it into the top three during practice at Imola, Red Bull brought an upgraded RB20 in an attempt to recover from an unusual loss in Miami. However, when it came to qualifying, Verstappen finally showcased his performance.
Max Verstappen wary of McLaren at Imola
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Verstappen surpassed his own expectations by claiming pole position, as he originally anticipated a solid top five finish. He dominated all three stages of qualifying, establishing his superiority.
When asked how he managed to extract the pole from the bag, Verstappen responded to the media, including PlanetF1.com, by saying, “Yeah, we just kept working at it.”
Even this morning, the situation wasn’t ideal. However, we persisted in our efforts to enhance the car’s stability, as it had been noticeably shifting around both yesterday and today.
To be honest, I approached qualifying with the mindset of “If we could secure a top five position, I would consider it a success,” given the challenging nature of this weekend.
“I didn’t have any prior reference going into qualifying, but I immediately noticed a significant improvement. I felt more at ease, enabling me to approach corners with a more aggressive mindset. Gradually, everything started to fall into place.”
Verstappen stated that the RB20 showed its true potential in Q3, saying, “To be honest, it’s simply adapting to the track. From Q1 to Q3, I know where there might be some time to gain, so I focus on improving my cornering technique.”
“Subsequently, the last lap demands complete dedication as you push yourself to the limit, evident in the final turn where I encountered a slight mishap. Nevertheless, I was determined to extract every ounce of performance.”
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Nevertheless, despite the positive change in performance, Verstappen remains uncertain about his level of preparedness for the race. He admitted that the RB20 did not feel satisfactory during an unsatisfactory long run session earlier in the day. Additionally, McLaren’s strong performance in qualifying adds to the unpredictability surrounding their performance in the upcoming race, making it difficult to gauge their potential to challenge Verstappen for pole position.
Oscar Piastri was originally slated to start alongside Verstappen at the front row, but he was penalized with a three-place grid drop for obstructing Kevin Magnussen. As a result, Piastri’s McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, was promoted to second place. Both Norris and Piastri came within a tenth of a second of Verstappen’s pole time. However, it was in the previous race in Miami where Norris triumphed over Verstappen, showcasing the impressive performance of the newly upgraded MCL38.
Verstappen responded, “Absolutely not,” when questioned about his level of preparedness for the race. “Yesterday was a complete disaster, both in terms of long and short runs.”
This morning, our intention was to go for a long run, but we ended up only completing three laps. Furthermore, we didn’t have a pleasant experience during those laps. Additionally, I lacked balance during the short run, which explains why the long run didn’t go well.
“I believe that my qualifying performance was well-balanced, which should improve the overall outcome. However, I am uncertain about how we will fare against McLaren, as they appeared to be very formidable during their long practice runs. Nevertheless, I am optimistic that we can achieve a comparable performance.”
When asked if he believes he has a challenging task ahead in the race, Verstappen affirmed, “Yes, definitely.”
“We’ve been on the defensive throughout the entire weekend.”
“We were able to secure the top position in qualifying, but it’s important to remember that qualifying and the actual race can vary.”
Typically, I prefer to have greater preparation and more knowledge before entering a race. Therefore, we will have to wait and observe the outcome of the race.
Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, was unable to advance to Q3 and will commence from P11.
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