General
Verstappen can't believe his luck: 'I can't really hope for more'
Max Verstappen is back in pole position and that put a smile on the Red Bull Racing driver's face. The Dutchman had a gap of four tenths on runner-up George Russell and so he did not even have to finish his last lap.
"Great start to the weekend," Verstappen commented. The entire F1 field had some start-up problems due to the track still being very 'green'. "It's quite tricky out there with the new tarmac. It still needs to rubber in. Very peaky grip. As soon as you overpush, the rear steps out." But: "Of course very happy to be on pole, it's been a good day for us.."
Verstappen has clear goal
Two years ago, Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes on pole and the Briton also won the race. Verstappen hopes for a similar scenario two years later. "I want to win on Sunday. We put it on pole and naturally you want to win the race but let's make sure tomorrow we have a good day. I think the car is quick."
Indeed, Verstappen can take the world title for the third time in a row in the sprint race. Before that, however, a Sprint Shootout must also be completed. "Tomorrow it's going to be a bit more difficult to get the tyres ready to work well with the tyres. It's a great start to the weekend and the car is working well. That's all I can hope for really."