From Saturday night in Las Vegas to Saturday night in Losail. Seven days after clinching his fourth world title, Max Verstappen added another masterpiece to an extraordinary season. The comeback victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix was a driving masterclass, while the pole position in Qatar, his first in five months, was a result of teamwork. Verstappen brought his skill, but Red Bull demonstrated its “racing” spirit by salvaging a weekend that seemed destined for mediocrity.
Following his sixth-place finish in the sprint qualifying, Max and his engineers held an extensive debrief. Sergio Perez, despite struggling in a difficult phase of his career, also faced significant challenges, failing to make it past Q1—a reflection of his current form.
Red Bull’s engineers decided to use Checo’s sprint race as a testing ground, adjusting the mechanical setup of his car. This explains Sergio Perez’s slow start from the pit lane (even overtaken by Franco Colapinto at the green light) and why his sprint wasn’t a race but a 19-lap test session to evaluate the new setup. By the end of the sprint, the changes were validated and applied to Verstappen’s car.
Red Bull also opted for a second flying lap strategy in Q3. Verstappen used a single set of soft tires, setting an initial flying lap of 1:20.620 and then, after two cool-down laps, a second lap of 1:20.520, securing pole position by 55 milliseconds over George Russell.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Max admitted. “I have to compliment the team for giving me a better-balanced car. When you have a better feel, you can push harder, and today I felt much more comfortable.”
“We made significant changes to the setup,” Verstappen continued, “but I never thought we could achieve such a drastic improvement in performance.”
The focus now shifts to the 57 laps of tomorrow’s race. The setup changes made by all teams after the sprint will face the test of long stints, especially in a Grand Prix likely to feature just one pit stop.
“I hope we can confirm this in the race,” Verstappen said. “The car felt much more stable on single-lap performance compared to Friday, but we don’t have any reference for what to expect tomorrow. We’ll see, but at least I’ll start from the best possible position, which hasn’t happened for a while (last on June 30 in Spielberg).”
At the Losail weekend, the balance of power has shifted after every session—sprint qualifying, the sprint race, and the Grand Prix qualifying. Verstappen and Red Bull ultimately took center stage at the end of a session initially expected to be a three-way battle among Russell, Norris, and Leclerc.
In the end, Max emerged on top, which could be a warning sign for tomorrow.
“We’re all very close,” Verstappen concluded. “The sprint race clearly showed how difficult it is to gain an advantage. Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari have all been quick. Now it seems we’ll be in the mix too, and I’m ready for a great race.”
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