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Max verstappen over Ferrari and Charles Leclerc in Austria

Question marks over Verstappen: 'There probably wasn't enough info'

1 July 2023 at 06:00
Last update 1 July 2023 at 09:08
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  • Kada Sarkozi
  • Editor

It was a bit of a sweat because of a possible penalty, but Max Verstappen will start from pole at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. Before this race, there will be the Sprint Shootout and Sprint. That Verstappen is fast over one lap at the Red Bull Ring was confirmed on Friday. Whether the speed is also there during the long runs, that is still unclear, the main protagonist said not least himself.

During a 'normal' Grand Prix weekend, drivers and teams have three free practice sessions to optimally tune their cars. In the second free practice, on the Friday afternoon, they usually work on the long runs. On a weekend when a Sprint is run, time for testing and tuning is limited. Only on Friday morning could teams spend an hour working on set-up.

Verstappen not worried

True, Verstappen and Red Bull Racing did use a small part of the session for something that was supposed to pass for a long run, but question marks remain. " I don't know," Verstappen responded when asked how fast Red Bull is in the long runs. "I don't know. I mean, again, it was probably not enough information, but that's the same for everyone, right? So I guess we'll find out. I don't know tomorrow what the weather will do, but on Sunday, we'll definitely find out."

The main challenger during qualifying in Spielberg was Ferrari. Is the small margin to Charles Leclerc a sign for an exciting race? "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, so I didn't really think about it. I was already busy enough with just getting my car to where it was in qualifying. And then, you know, around here, it always is very close. And I think that showed again today."