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Verstappen ‘realistic’ about prospects for Dutch Grand Prix as he reflects on lack of pace during qualifying
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Max Verstappen says he is remaining “realistic” about what he can achieve in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix after ending qualifying three tenths off the time set by pole-sitter Lando Norris.
While Norris had put his McLaren on provisional pole during the first runs of Q3, Verstappen initially looked to have beaten the Briton when the final flying laps came in, sparking a huge cheer from the crowd.
However, just a few moments later Norris crossed the line with an impressive effort of 1m 09.673s, putting him 0.356s clear of the Red Bull.
Reflecting on his qualifying after stepping out of the car, Verstappen admitted that it had not been straightforward throughout the session, leaving him relieved to claim P2 on the grid.
“I think the whole qualifying we just lacked a bit of pace,” the reigning world champion said. “I tried the best I could. I’m still very happy of course to be on the front row.
Verstappen's run of pole positions at Zandvoort has come to an end after the Dutchman was beaten by Norris
“It’s very tricky out there with the wind; you have these gusts of wind coming in, so every single lap just feels different, so you can’t really go off a reference as well. I’m happy with second. I think after yesterday as well this is a good result.”
Pushed on how challenging the session had been in terms of balance, Verstappen explained: “It’s how it is at the moment. Not the easiest to drive… But the rest of the lap was quite solid. I think only [Turns] 11, 12 was a bit difficult. We’ll see. Hopefully the car is okay tomorrow in the race.”
Verstappen will enter Sunday’s race with an unblemished record, having taken victory at Zandvoort in every year since it returned to the F1 calendar in 2021.
Asked if he could still win this time around, the Dutchman reflected: “We’ll give it a good go. Of course when you’re more than three-tenths behind in qualifying, I think we have to be realistic. I’ll just try to have a good race tomorrow.”
On the other side of the Red Bull garage, Sergio Perez will line up in fifth place. The Mexican enjoyed a decent session but was left unhappy after feeling that he had been impeded by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton during Q1, an incident that was set to be investigated by the stewards later on.
Perez: ' I was blocked by Lewis in Q1'
“Basically the problem [in qualifying] was that I was blocked by Lewis in Q1,” Perez commented. “That’s why we had to put an extra set [of tyres on], and that really did compromise our qualifying because we ended up in Q3 with a single set unfortunately.
“But it’s the way it is, we should have been quicker in my first attempt in Q2.”
Quizzed on whether he was encouraged to see Red Bull in the mix on a weekend where the RB20 does not look to be the fastest car, Perez responded: “Yeah, I think definitely we are in the mix.
“I think we’ve got every hope of being a lot stronger for tomorrow so definitely, yeah, think there’s a lot of hope in that regard.”
The six-time race winner also set out his goal for Sunday’s race, where he will line up just behind the Mercedes of George Russell.
“Overall I think it’s a solid result – we can fight from there,” he added. “We’ve got one Mercedes [ahead] and hopefully we are able to get in the mix with the McLarens early on, and that will be the target for tomorrow.”
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