Max Verstappen "very happy to be on the front row" of the Sprint

The starting grid for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race will have a 2021 feel as Lewis Hamilton et Max Verstappen will find themselves on the front row. Behind the new Ferrari driver, on pole for the first time with the Team, the four-time reigning champion finished just 18 thousandths of a second behind the Briton. The Dutchman did not expect to be so high up the grid.

« I think in the first free practice we were quite far behind, so I'm very happy to be on the front row., he told the official F1 channel. The lap was very good. It's always very difficult, when you switch from a medium to a soft tire, to complete a lap without any reference. »

« Of course, if you think about it, we were 18 thousandths of a second off pole, but I don't think we should have been on the front row anyway, added Verstappen. I'm very happy to be second. »

« We are just too slow, adds the pilot of the Red Bull n ° 1. It's also a little boost of motivation for everyone, I think, to see that we continue to string together laps, to try to maximize our strengths, and we have to do that too, even if we're perhaps having a little more trouble finding the rhythm. »

Regarding his expectations for this Saturday's Sprint race, Max Verstappen expects to struggle to keep the McLaren behind him.

Response from 4:00 a.m. (French time) this Saturday.

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