“Well, if we make it to Q3, we’re doing well,” Max Verstappen said in front of Viaplay’s camera on Friday. The Dutchman ultimately secured the third spot. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner sings praises of his protégé and anticipates an ‘interesting’ Australian Grand Prix.
Helmut Marko predicted that the second starting row would be the maximum achievable, to which Max Verstappen responded on Friday after the second free practice in Melbourne in front of Viaplay: “If we are on the second starting row tomorrow, then we have done very well. But I don’t see that happening, absolutely not.”
The 81-year-old Red Bull advisor was proven right. Verstappen finished third behind both McLarens. Christian Horner is therefore looking forward to Sunday’s race with hope. “Very encouraging for Max,” Horner describes the result after the qualification. “Especially because he had the provisional pole in that first run. He always felt that the McLarens had a better lap time, and to be fair to them, they both put in strong laps at the end of the qualification. But I thought Max did very well.”
‘We are in the race’
On Saturday, during the qualification, temperatures rose above 33 degrees at the Albert Park Street Circuit. Sunscreen could be taken out of the cupboard, but during the Grand Prix, the weather completely changes and no sunscreen is needed. The temperature does not exceed 24 degrees, the sun gives way to clouds, and rain is predicted all day. After Max Verstappen’s phenomenal comeback during the Grand Prix of São Paulo, it has once again been proven that the four-time world champion is an excellent rain driver, which could potentially give him an advantage. “Who knows what will happen with the weather, it could be interesting,” says Horner. “I think the team has done a good job improving the car throughout the weekend. We are on the second starting row, P3 for tomorrow’s race.”
In a conversation with F1 TV, Horner analyzes the qualification. “There might be a tenth left in the car, but I think we probably took a bit too much out of the tires in the first two sectors. The McLaren is very strong in the last sector, so I thought Max did brilliantly today. We are in the race, and that’s the most important thing.”
