Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured P3 in Qualifying for the Dutch GP after experiencing a difficult start to the weekend.
After the Friday practice sessions, Verstappen lamented Red Bull’s struggles and even cast doubts about whether a Top 5 finish was in the cards this weekend.
In the press conference following Qualifying for the Dutch GP, Verstappen was thus pleased with the result.
RB21 felt better in Qualifying compared to practice
The Dutchman, who has been struggling with grip and balance issues, felt that his RB21 felt better in Qualifying than it had in previous sessions.
“Yeah, I mean, so far this weekend, we’ve been struggling for grip and general balance.
“Luckily, in Qualifying, it was the best that I’ve felt all weekend.
“That’s, of course, what you like.
“It all just felt a bit more normal, a bit more together.
“Still not on the level of McLaren, of course, but at least to be P3 is very good for us.
“So, we did the right things in terms of set-up directions.
“I’m very happy with that.
“It just made it a bit more fun — you had to push to the limit around here, which has some incredible layouts.”
Changes ahead of Qualifying key to performance gain
Red Bull’s struggles on Friday prompted the team to make changes overnight, changes that, according to Verstappen, did not have the desired effect.
The team thus opted for additional changes to the car ahead of Qualifying for the Dutch GP.
Verstappen notes that these final adjustments improved the feeling inside the car, despite the wind serving as another performance-hindering obstacle.
“Changed a lot.
“Even this morning, it was still not good.
“So, then we changed other bits again, and that made it feel a bit better.
“But it’s still quite tricky with the wind.
“It’s been very windy today, and in some corners, you’re a bit guided by what the wind is doing.
“So, the car is pushing or sliding, and I guess we’re not the strongest at the moment, but still, it was not bad.”
Doubts about Red Bull’s race pace
Due to Red Bull’s struggles this weekend, Verstappen heads into the Dutch GP with a question mark regarding his long-run pace.
While the local hero thinks that the car is more stable, he points to Red Bull’s race pace as a potential limiting factor for tomorrow’s race.
With no hope of catching the McLarens ahead, Verstappen hopes to keep the competition behind.
“It’s a bit unknown, but I do think that what we have on the car should be more stable.
“But this season in general, our race pace has not been the best in terms of if you compare it to a qualifying lap.
“But I just hope that at least we can keep the guys behind us literally behind us in the race.
“What happens in front of me, I have no control over.
“I’ll just try to do the best I can from my side.”
