Max Verstappen has expressed that he is more “confident” in extracting pace from Red Bull’s Formula 1 car over a single lap in 2024 after taking pole position in China.
The Dutchman surged to a comfortable pole at the Shanghai International Circuit to ensure that his flawless run on low fuel in the traditional format in 2024 continued.
Verstappen has secured the best starting position for the race at all five rounds this season, becoming the first driver since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 to achieve that feat.
The three-time F1 champion topped all three segments and his initial benchmark in Q3 would have been enough to beat his competition despite going slower than Q2.
However, Verstappen managed a further three-tenth improvement to cement his place at the top of the timesheets as he bids to achieve a first win in China tomorrow.
“Yeah I would say a bit confusing in Q3, where on the first run, I went slower than in Q2,” he reviewed. “It might have been the wind.
“It was very difficult to understand that anyway. Like, around here with the wind direction, it’s very sensitive to the balance of the car.
“But then, yeah, for the final run, I didn’t really know what to expect, but you just push on, and everything just came a bit together.
“The grip felt a little bit more normal, and I managed to improve. So, that was very nice.
“I think overall the whole qualifying, I was very happy with the car. It felt well-balanced as well. So then you can push on. And that was I think crucial to be on pole today.”
Verstappen believes that the limited track evolution between the second and third stages was behind him being unable to improve on his initial run in the pole shootout.
“For me personally, I didn’t really feel like there was a massive track evolution,” he added. “Q1 maybe a little bit.
“But also I guess, because you come out of a race with a lot of deg, where then you put new tyres on low fuel, you have to get into it as well a little bit from your own side.
“I think, but yeah, from Q2 to Q3, it was very, very little.”
Verstappen’s latest table-topping lap ensured that Red Bull accomplished its 100th pole position in F1, having secured its first through Sebastian Vettel 15 years ago.
“Before I jumped in the car, Christian [Horner] told me like, ‘if you get pole today, it could be number 100 for the team’,” Verstappen revealed.
“So I was like, okay, ‘well, that’s, that’s nice’. I’ll try, you know, I’ll give it a good go’. But yeah, of course, that’s an incredible achievement for the whole team.
“Of course, also a big contribution from Seb back in the day, but, yeah, fantastic.
“Also, you know, to have the one-two in qualifying, it showed that the car is again working really well and from my side, it’s been, yeah, a really good start to the year.
“I feel very confident in qualifying even compared to last year.
“It’s just a shame, of course, that we retired in Melbourne. Otherwise, I think we could have had already a very strong lead, but, yeah, overall, still a great start.
Verstappen recovered from a tentative start to charge from fourth to a commanding win in the earlier Sprint, pulling 13 seconds clear in 10 laps once he hit the front.
Asked how that will help shape his preparations, Verstappen replied: “It definitely gives you a bit more of an idea with the deg, what to look at, what to work on for tomorrow.
“Of course, the wind direction is going to change again tomorrow. So the balance of the car in some corners will be a bit different again.
“I think if the car is only even half as good as what it was in the Sprint, I think we’ll be all right.”
