Verstappen: “We gave everything”

For the first time this season, an engine Mercedes will not be on pole during a Grand Prix. This Saturday, Max Verstappen managed to beat the odds by outclassing the Silver Arrows at the end of a thrilling qualifying session.

At the finish line, the pilot Red Bull preceded Valtteri Bottas et Lewis Hamilton of only 25 and 56 thousandths! A small gap certainly but which demonstrates that the Dutchman has never given up in the face of the domination of the German team.

« I said before qualifying that this was the last time we were going to give it our all and that's what we did. I am very happy. It was a tricky session at the start, especially to complete the laps, especially in the last sector. With so many turns, mistakes can happen quickly. Luckily, everything came together on my last lap.

It's been a long season for everyone, with several successive races. It's a very good final qualification for the team. We are very happy with the result. It's hard to be behind all the time so we're delighted ».

A performance widely praised by the Red Bull clan and in particular Christian Horner happy to find his car on pole for the first time in more than a year (2019 Brazilian GP). “ It is deserved. Max brought together all the elements to go for pole. He had a fantastic ride, savored the Team Principal at the microphone of F1 TV.

He went to look for her alone. Looking at the times by sector, he is second in the first, third in the second and second in the last. He lined up a very good round and he succeeded. He put in an incredible performance.

The Mercedes have been dominant in qualifying this year. Their cars had pace which made the difference this season when Saturday afternoons came around. We must now end this long season by converting this pole (in victory, editor’s note).”

For the Sunday race, Max Verstappen will be able to contain the two Mercedes behind him thanks to the very good top speed of the Honda power unit in particular. “ Nobody completed a lot of laps in free practice, we'll see what the situation is like. We will do our best to try to keep the Mercedes behind us. They are still very fast but it seems that we have a good top speed. I hope it will do it for tomorrow ».