Hard tires best choice according to Verstappen

Max Verstappen always manages to get noticed. On Saturday, more than his performance, it was his choice of rubber that stood out. In Q2, the driver Red Bull opted for hard tires, the only one in this case. The bet was successful since he easily qualified for Q3 and will be able to start hard during the race on Sunday.

The Dutchman explained his strategy. “This weekend, we are starting with softer tires than last week. We can't use the hard ones from last weekend, which were great tires. So what choice did we have? The softs were not an option, they collapsed in less than a lap. As for the mediums, they are actually the soft ones from last week. They already weren't great and no one wanted to qualify with them. So why do it now when the track is hotter? » What had to be deduced.

In Q3, on the other hand, Verstappen was much less serene in his choice. He started with the mediums before using the softs. “ I didn't drive much during qualifying, only four laps. So I didn't know which tire was faster and I tried both. It was a mistake, we were not properly prepared for Q3, we could have gotten closer to Mercedes. We will have to work on this aspect during the next tests. »

In the meantime, Verstappen will start hard on Sunday. “ The first round will be tricky but we saw last week that it was possible to take them well so it will be fine. »

His bet in Q2 gives him the opportunity to use a different strategy from the others. With just one stop? “No, I think it’s impossible, no pilot will try it. » Unless the safety car turns everything upside down, like last weekend.