Verstappen explains qualifying scare after sealing "messy" pole
Verstappen explains qualifying scare after sealing "messy" pole
Max Verstappen has described his qualifying session as "messy" after surviving a reliability scare to secure pole position in Abu Dhabi.
The Dutchman scored his seventh pole of the season to lead a Red Bull one-two at the Yas Marina Circuit.
But the session was far from simple with Verstappen's Red Bull requiring a full system reboot at the start of the final session.
"It was a bit of an up-and-down qualifying," said Verstappen.
"It started off quite well but Q2 was a little bit messier. I don't know why but with that tyre set I just couldn't get the grip together.
"But then in Q3 it all felt a bit more normal and we had a bit of a scare - the car turned off before the first run so we had to reboot everything.
"Then we went out and both of the laps were good enough so I'm very pleased with that but I'm also very happy that both cars are on the front row because we know that we want to win the race but we also want to finish second with Checo in the championship.
"That's definitely a great start for tomorrow."
Red Bull is focused on ensuring a first one-two result for the team in the drivers' standings.
Sergio Perez starts the race level with Charles Leclerc but when it was suggested that the race is perfectly poised for him to further aid his team-mate, Verstappen added: "It always sounds great.
"For sure today was amazing. I still expect it to be a good battle tomorrow but at least we have both cars there and we can do what we want."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 24 minutes ago
Hamilton opens up on Wolff talks over Ferrari move as Verstappen SLAMS F1 decision - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
F1 Sprint Qualifying Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 23:27
Marko suggests 'exciting' move to REPLACE Ricciardo
- Yesterday 22:57
F1 Practice Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 22:27
2024 Sprint changes show F1 is listening to fix imperfect format
- Yesterday 21:57
Related news
F1 track to test stunning new driver format
Verstappen caught red-handed in failed Red Bull sabotage
Verstappen's F1 break includes one major omission
Marko mourns death of key Red Bull figure after championship win
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