Verstappen "upset" by Red Bull tyre call that cost him Turkish GP pole
Verstappen "upset" by Red Bull tyre call that cost him Turkish GP pole
Max Verstappen lamented Red Bull's decision to switch to "horrible" intermediate tyres that seemingly cost him pole position for the Turkish Grand Prix.
In a chaotic qualifying session delayed twice by red flags and spiced up by rain on an already slippery Istanbul Park circuit, Verstappen looked to be in a league of his own up until midway through Q3.
But the team reacted to Sergio Perez's times on the intermediate tyres in Q3 and made the switch from the extreme wet compound, with the Dutch driver ultimately finishing second behind the other Racing Point of Lance Stroll.
"It's the first time I sit here upset," said Verstappen. "I think that says it all. It was all going quite well on the wet tyre.
"In Q1, when I tried to go onto the inters, it was not working at all, even compared to other people around me.
"In Q3 I was not sure to go on inters because I felt really comfortable on the extreme tyres.
"Once I boxed and I went out I had no grip at all compared to the laps I was doing before, so just very disappointing to be second.
"For us, the inters were horrible. The extreme tyres were good, it was very comfortable. [Overall] Not good."
Asked whether he felt he could have clinched pole on the full wets, he replied: "The track was definitely leaning towards intermediates but for me, it just felt so poor that if I'd stayed out on the full wets I could have done the same lap times.
"Clearly something was not working for us today on that tyre."
Similar conditions are possible for the race and although Verstappen conceded his frustration at letting pole slip, the Dutchman suggested the race pace from practice could be crucial.
"At the moment, I am a bit disappointed, of course," he added. "There is still the race where of course, we can do well.
"But yeah, when you are first all the time and you come out second, it is not what you want. Points are tomorrow so I just hope that we will have a good race."
As for a possible win, with Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas starting sixth and ninth, Verstappen added: "I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow.
"Lewis and Valtteri are a bit further down but I'm also starting now on the inside, so that's not very lovely. We'll find out tomorrow."
Before you go...
Stroll stuns Formula 1 with first pole by a Canadian for 23 years since Jacques Villeneuve
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- 56 minutes ago
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- 1 hour ago
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 2 hours ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 3 hours ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- Today 17:58
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- Today 17:00
Related news
Newey exit DATE revealed as Red Bull F1 chief set to leave
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860