Max Verstappen and George Russell achieved the same qualifying time in Canada; however, Verstappen will begin the race behind Russell.
Max Verstappen admitted setting an identical lap time to George Russell was “great in hindsight” after Canadian Grand Prix qualifying, given how fast Mercedes have been in Montréal.
In the final practice on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton was nearly four tenths faster than all other drivers. However, in the qualifying session (Q3), Verstappen managed to match Russell’s quickest lap time of 1:12.000. Despite this, as Russell had set his time earlier, he retains the pole position for Sunday’s race.
Max Verstappen on Mercedes’ early pace: ‘There is no way I can do something like that’
This weekend, both Russell and Hamilton had the team’s upgraded front wing installed. This addition, along with various other improvements made by the former World Champions, has resulted in enhanced performance on the track for the W15 this season.
Despite struggling with his Red Bull during practice, Verstappen managed to secure a front-row position for the Canadian Grand Prix, unlike his teammate Perez who was eliminated in Q1.
Because of how much raw pace Mercedes have shown so far in Canada, the Red Bull driver admitted P2 is a perfectly acceptable starting position for him for the race on Sunday.
“After the session, Verstappen expressed his view saying, ‘Overall, I don’t think it was a poor qualifying.'”
Looking back, it’s impressive that Mercedes managed to achieve the exact same lap time in Q3, especially considering it was likely their weakest session as mentioned earlier.
In terms of sheer speed, I believe I would rank second. Upon observing their lap times in Q2, I was astounded and thought to myself, “I can never achieve something like that.”
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The weekend, once again, turned out to be a bit messy from our perspective, with a few intermittent rain showers in between.
After encountering numerous minor problems, we made an effort to achieve optimal balance with the car.
In my opinion, we managed to achieve a satisfactory balance during the qualifying session. I felt content with the outcome, although it would be beneficial if we could have smoother weekends without any complications. I believe this would contribute to improving our performance.
When asked if Mercedes’ turn of pace this weekend had taken him by surprise, Verstappen offered a diplomatic response – believing their speed to be “good for Formula 1” – with Mercedes now another team to potentially be taken into the mix with Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari at the front of the field, if they continue their current trajectory.
He stated that when considering the entire grid, there are numerous unexpected occurrences, both positive and negative.
Yeah, it’s evident that everyone is becoming more reserved, and it’s truly the small details that set individuals apart.
Perhaps you possess a deeper understanding of tires. You are aware of specific flaws in your car, and it’s likely that other teams also have their own weaknesses. Therefore, you must strategize accordingly and consider these factors, especially when it comes to certain track designs. Overall, this dynamic adds value to the sport of Formula 1.
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