Max Verstappen said the qualifying lap which secured his front row start in the Russian Grand Prix was one of the best of his career so far.
The Red Bull driver split the Mercedes pair with his final run in Q3, relegating Valtteri Bottas to third place on the grid. There had been little indication of that kind of pace from Red Bull prior to qualifying.Asked whether his final qualifying laps was one of the best he had driven, Verstappen said: “Yeah, I think so.
“It felt really good. I was just trying to find the right balance because I was actually struggling quite a bit throughout qualifying to really nail all the entry speeds because I was over-steering a lot.”
Verstappen said the team has made steady progress with its car throughout the weekend.
“Step by step I think we were doing a better job. Q3 run one was a bit better, but then the second run I made a few changes and that just gave me a little bit more grip. On this track you really need a lot of entry grip.
“So that was a very satisfying and it was a really nice lap to drive. It’s not pole position, but for me to be on the first row, I definitely didn’t expect that going into qualifying.”
He will start the race on the medium tyre compound, which he used to set his quickest lap in Q2. “I wanted to start on the medium,” he said. “But of course the field is very, very close on lap time. So it was very hard.
“I did my very best that I could on that tyre but it was not easy because I was already struggling for grip and going onto a harder compound it was even more difficult to find that grip.”
Verstappen began a run on the soft tyres at the end of the session in case other drivers were able to improve their lap times, but aborted the run at the final corner when the team decided he would be safe.
“They told me ‘abort, abort’. So I stopped. But of course, the finish line is quite short after the last corner. So I’m happy that we did it and we just made it through.”
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ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
26th September 2020, 16:29
Feels like something Alonso would say. What else could you do to yourself to keep the fighting spirit high than to say every laps is his best career lap.
Sumedh
26th September 2020, 16:50
Exactly what I was thinking. This is sounding like Alonso (2014 onwards)
Aapje (@aapje)
26th September 2020, 17:02
@ruliemaulana
Given Mercedes’ dominance in qualifying, can’t he simply be right?
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
26th September 2020, 17:20
@aapje I’m not saying he’s wrong. Actually, Mercedes domination is why he can only talk about his own achievement. He can’t talk about his chance of winning the championship.
DeanR
26th September 2020, 17:38
Maybe. Probably even. I’d say BOT was trying to be too clever and aim for 2nd place…and come undone. Just my opinion of course. Good lap from VER though, no doubt.
baasbas
26th September 2020, 23:15
I’d say 3rd is the better starting position because the right side is dirty.
I don’t think it was deliberate though.
David Bondo
26th September 2020, 16:34
He just goes from strength to strength.
No doubt the best driver on the grid just needs a car that can compete with Mercedes.
Today the RBR was no better than 5th best car.
You could even make an argument that the Alpha Tauri was quicker so 6th best car.
To beat the all conquering, most dominant car of all time Mercedes is astounding.
Rott
26th September 2020, 16:41
What non sense? Put Lewis in that Redbull, it would be winning multiple WDCs.
Aiii (@)
26th September 2020, 16:53
In this scenario Max would be winning all the WDC’s in the Merc.
David Bondo
26th September 2020, 16:54
He struggled to put Rosberg away in 2016. He’s definitely not getting results anything close to Max.
DeanR
26th September 2020, 17:42
Except… he would and he has. Lewis has exactly 10 x the wins of VER and let’s not even get into pole positions and WDCs. Max has massive talent but it’s yet to be realised. I know it sucks but those are the facts. Sorry.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
27th September 2020, 0:21
Hamilton having 10x verstappen’s wins means he’s a better driver than verstappen? How many years did verstappen have the best car? Oh, right, 0, hamilton? At least 2014-2020, that’s 7, plus you can make an argument for a very competitive car at least in 2007 and 2008.
koddamn (@gufdamm)
26th September 2020, 17:51
Lewis struggled to put Rosberg away in 2016? You’re being silly.
erikje
26th September 2020, 17:58
well he lost. Fair and square
And do not start again with the DNF fable… that is part of motorsport and Ham just had to deal with it.
BTW: It was annoying to listen to his reaction on the team and the suggestion of preference for Ros. Only because some mechanics changed sides ( and ROS was the one with a lot of technical troubles the year before)
Colly
26th September 2020, 18:28
Yes Erijke, Lewis list to Rosberg is 2016, Max lost to Riccardo in both 2016 and 2017, fair and square.
Riccardo is a midfield driver.
Not too good for Max!!! (using your own logic.) 🤣🤣🤣
MacLeod (@macleod)
27th September 2020, 2:12
Riccardo isn’t a midfield driver he is a good one and a very good qualiflier!
And 2017 is not a clear win for Riccardo as Max was starting beating him in the second half (or you just watch points) in race pace.
JI
26th September 2020, 18:34
….. sure bud……
Colly
26th September 2020, 18:40
Glad u agree JI.
Colly
27th September 2020, 7:52
Macleod, as erikje has already pointed out, no excuses Ros beat Ham in 16, Ric beat Max in 16 & 17, you can argue until the cows come home Ham was unlucky (which he was), but must apply the argument equally, ergo Max is worse than Ric.
Riccardo is good, but looks like always being a midfield driver. I don’t see a wdc in him, I am sorry to say, as he seems a great guy and one who I respect.
Why Max fans constantly over state his ability and achievements in sone delusional mantra is funny. Just step back and observe the reality!
Parte
26th September 2020, 16:44
Best driver on the grid is Lewis Hamilton
anon
26th September 2020, 16:54
David Bondo, thank you for helping me win that bet – I had been wagering that you would soon be claiming that the Red Bull car was the 5th or 6th fastest car on the grid in order to hype up Max’s performances with the hyperbolic frenzy of a religious zealot, and now you’ve helped me win it.
At this rate, I’m wondering if I should bet on you downgrading the performance of Red Bull’s car to 7th on the grid – I would not be surprised if you do so in order to shower even more praise on Max.
Aapje (@aapje)
26th September 2020, 17:05
The Reb Bull is actually slower than the safety car, so it is the 11th fastest car ;)
David Bondo
26th September 2020, 17:07
It’s 5th fastest.
anon
26th September 2020, 17:30
David Bondo, what rational explanation do you have to explain why you are so fervent in your belief that the performance of the Red Bull car is so poor that it is in the middle or lower half of the grid?
Even if their 2020 car were only performing at the level of its 2019 car, their 2019 car was still far enough ahead of the midfield pack that it would still be second fastest on average this year. To put it into perspective, if Max had set the same time this year that he did in the 2019 Russian GP, he would have started 3rd on the grid – and, despite some of the difficulties the team have had with their 2020 car, there is no evidence that the 2020 car is that much slower than their 2019 car.
You’re not even trying to offer any evidence for your assertions – it comes across as an article of faith for you, or some sort of sacrosanct belief, that you must declare the car to be that slow in your veneration of Max without any sort of sacrilegious belief being allowed to cross your mind that the car could possibly be faster than you proclaim it must be.
David Bondo
26th September 2020, 19:43
At this circuit, it was the 5th best car in qualifying. It might be a little better in the race, but the track isn’t suiting them this weekend.
It was an incredible effort from Max.
anon
26th September 2020, 20:52
David Bondo, constantly repeating the claim that “it was the 5th best car” with no effort in even trying to prove your point makes you look more like a quasi-religious fanatic with a rather creepy Nietzschean fetish for Max.
Obsessively repeating the same line that “it was the 5th best car” does not constitute a fact – it just makes you appear like a strangely obsessive zealot. Could you please calm down with the increasingly disturbing cult-like worship of Max?
DeanR
26th September 2020, 17:39
Hehehe good try. Not today though. You have to get up earlier in the morning to pull one over on me. 😉
Colly
26th September 2020, 18:35
If Red Bull had drivers as good as Bottas and Hamilton, they would be ahead of Mercedes!
Prove they wouldn’t be.
Hamilton and Bottas are part of the reason the Merc is as good as it is.
The facts however speak for themselves.
w0o0dy
27th September 2020, 9:22
Ridiculous claims.. you are saying Hamilton and Bottas (really??) would be a second faster than Max in the same car? You’re beyond delusional.
Colly
27th September 2020, 11:24
Sorry if you missed I am playing devils advocate.
You see IMHO Max fans are delusional.
He did not win at junior levels.
He hasn’t beaten any established drivers or previous WDC in the same equipment, yet they make ridiculous claims he is the best on the grid.
It is easy to make stuff up, you see…
Ps actually Hamilton and Bottas pairing are highly likely to outperform Ves and Alb in RBR…
Mercedes aren’t paying them so much for no reason.
Rott
26th September 2020, 16:40
Looks like max straining the Honda engine too much again.
Tomorrow the engine might go kaboooom.
erikje
26th September 2020, 17:09
yep, its only the Merc engine that saves your precious Lewis ;)
DeanR
26th September 2020, 17:45
Max had the chance to join Merc. He declined. Lewis had the chance to join Merc and accepted.
Balue (@balue)
26th September 2020, 17:53
Where do you have that from? Never heard about it.
anon
26th September 2020, 18:03
Yep @DeanR I also would like to know where you’ve heard this from. Max’s character doesn’t fit the Merc profile. I can’t see he’d fit the team dynamic or the image the sponsors require – too much foul mouthing and arrogance. I’m sure he’d be very good at selling fast food to teenagers who wear straight browed caps though.
ColdFly (@)
26th September 2020, 18:14
It was @KeithCollantine who included this in a few articles (see above) and I recall similar stories from other sources around the time he joined the Red Bull stables.
anon, @balue
DeanR
26th September 2020, 18:15
Max was offered a role in the Merc driver programme/academy but he chose RB instead… I guess because they guaranteed him an immediate seat at TR/AT?
ColdFly (@)
26th September 2020, 18:17
Shoot! I should have bet with you before linking the article ;)
anon
DeanR
26th September 2020, 18:18
Yes… what coldfly said.
Jockey Ewing
26th September 2020, 19:00
I think DeanR is referring to the decision about whether to accept RB’s offer and get into F1 in 2015 or choose Mercedes and likely get into F1 later than 2015.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Verstappen#Scuderia_Toro_Rosso_(2014%E2%80%932016)
Esploratore (@esploratore)
27th September 2020, 0:24
Can’t blame verstappen for going for the immediate seat, you never know what happens in f1 if you wait.
Jockey Ewing
28th September 2020, 21:29
Yes, as I heard Mercedes not really offered him too much by that time (compared to RB), something like a development driver/junior driver/DTM driver role. Not bad at his young age, and Mercedes made most of their achievements since 2014, while RB family looked stronger than today by that time, so I agree with you.
Jockey Ewing
28th September 2020, 21:31
Not bad at his young age, but Mercedes ….
Balue (@balue)
26th September 2020, 17:54
I believe him. To be that much fast than your team mate and go in between the Mercedes it must have been a great lap.
Scalextric (@scalextric)
26th September 2020, 18:50
Didn’t VER get a tow from a Merc who’d just finished a hot lap at the start of his Q3 lap? Would have helped his sector 1 time. Going to have to watch that again.
MacLeod (@macleod)
27th September 2020, 2:13
Yes indeed he gained 0.3 in sector 1 thanks to Bottas.