The Dutch surpassed the British George Russell (Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), taking his tenth pole position in 17 races this season.
“It’s a great start to the weekend,” said Verstappen, who celebrated his 26th birthday last weekend. “I’m happy with the pole, it’s been a good day for us,” he added.
“It was difficult for the tires, with a lot of sand on the circuit, but our car is working very well,” analyzed the Dutchman, who achieved the 30th pole of his career.
“The fact of being able to win doesn’t change anything, I just want to have a good weekend, this doesn’t give me extra pressure,” he concluded.
Verstappen, who led his first pursuers by more than half a second, once again appeared untouchable on a slippery sand track, gaining confidence before Saturday’s sprint, where he will probably become world champion for the third time.
Confusion reigned after the end of the classification because the two best times of the McLarenof Lando Norrisinitially second, and Oscar Piastrifourth, were suppressed because they had exceeded the runway limits.
The Briton fell back to tenth place, while the Australian will finally start sixth.
The two Mercedes took advantage of the sanctions against the McLarens to place themselves in second and third place on the starting grid, a performance that could be capital in the fight for second place in the constructors’ and drivers’ classification.
“It wasn’t easy today, it’s strange to be almost eliminated in Q1, to achieve the best time of Q2 right after, it’s very good for the team, we did a great job today,” said Hamilton.
“We know we can improve in some areas, but it is promising, although we never know what it will mean in the race. For our fight with Ferrari, we would have to secure maximum points here,” Russell added.
Hamilton could also take advantage of the poor performance of Sergio Perez (Red Bull), who will start 13th, to reduce the difference of 33 points with the Mexican, while his team will have a good advantage with Ferrari since Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start respectively from fifth and 12th place.
On a circuit that the drivers know little and that has been repaved since its first race in 2021, the drivers had problems adapting. In addition to the sand, the heat and wind didn’t help either.
Sainz, winner in Singapore three weeks ago, fell into the trap and was eliminated in Q2 by 31 thousandths, on a day in which many times were eliminated for not respecting the limits of the track.
On Saturday the drivers have an appointment with the sprint classification and the subsequent race of this modality, with 19 laps at local night time.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
