Verstappen reveals extent of damage after Q1 off as Perez apologises for ‘letting my whole team down’

Max Verstappen has explained that he was carrying “a lot of floor damage” after a dramatic off-track moment in the early stages of qualifying for the British Grand Prix, claiming that it cost him a shot at pole position.

Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull at Copse corner in the opening Q1 phase as drivers switched from intermediate tyres to slicks in a wet-dry session, sending him off the track and bumping over the gravel trap.

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While he managed to recover from the situation and eventually qualify fourth, behind Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton as well as McLaren’s Lando Norris, the Dutchman admitted the incident was a costly one.

“It was just a bit unlucky in Q1 that it started to rain for one lap going into Copse,” he said afterwards. “I already slowed down but still lost the car, so of course then almost crashed. I kept it out of the barrier, but a lot of floor damage from then onwards.

“I think the team did a great job to try and repair as much as we could, but some bits were missing that you can’t really glue on, you know. From there onwards we were just really fighting with the balance of the car.

“Naturally, the floor is of course a massively important part on the car. At the end of the day, I’m very happy to be P4, to be honest.”

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After saying he “for sure” would have been in the fight for pole otherwise, having initially lost around 100 points of downforce, Verstappen then previewed the race, declaring that “everything is possible” on Sunday.

“Of course, I would have liked to start first, but at least now we can drive an attacking race and see if we can put them under pressure up front,” he commented.

Verstappen’s team mate, Sergio Perez, had his own moment at Copse in Q1, but unfortunately for the Mexican, he beached his car in the gravel and dropped out of the running.

“It’s very frustrating,” said the Mexican, who will start 19th on the grid, gaining a spot due to Pierre Gasly’s engine penalty. “I let my whole team down. “I was the first one, or one of the first ones to go onto slick tyres, and at that point I basically needed all the temperature I could get to the tyre.

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“As I was approaching Turn 9, as I shifted down, I locked up the rear axle, which put me out of the track. I ended up trying to go to keep it straight, but I just lost the car. The tyres were super cold and I got caught out with the conditions unfortunately.”

Asked what was going through his mind when he was stuck, Perez added: “I was trying to get out, but once you’re there it’s really difficult to do anything.

“It’s very frustrating, it hurts to let your team down in that way, especially because we’ve had a really strong weekend up to now. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to show the full pace.”

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