Max Verstappen secured second place in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Dutch phenomenon will start alongside Lando Norris and is already setting the tone for a battle at the start with his friend and rival.
In addition to the cold and low-grip track, rain made the drivers’ lives even more difficult on Saturday in Nevada. The four-time world champion, despite a few minor mistakes, delivered as usual in the decisive moments of the session and ultimately claimed the second-fastest time behind pole-sitter Lando Norris. Here are Max Verstappen’s words after Las Vegas qualifying.
“The track was really slippery. It’s already slippery when it’s dry, so on the wet it’s even worse: it’s not fun, I can tell you that. I enjoy driving in the rain, but here it’s a bit like driving on ice, so it takes quite a while to get the tyres working properly. Maybe we were more competitive on full wets, but the track was improving, so we had to switch to intermediates.”
“I struggled a lot to find any grip at all. I pushed a little more on the last lap, but I was still far off and didn’t have the pace to fight for first. Still, starting from the front row is a good result for us. The lap felt good, but it was extremely difficult to find the braking points, especially since we were pushing the tyres to the limit. I’m excited for tomorrow and I hope the inside line has good grip.” – the four-time Formula 1 world champion pointed out at the end of the qualifying session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“Visibility is a key factor because with these cars generating so much downforce, a lot of water is lifted into the air, so when it rains there’s a lot of spray. That’s why having an eight-second gap was very important: I know it sounds like a lot, but otherwise you couldn’t see what was happening in front of you.”
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