Max Verstappen will start the sprint race in São Paulo from the fourth position. The Dutch driver quickly realized after the start of the sprint qualifying that he could not compete for pole position. The newly resurfaced Interlagos track does not suit the RB20 well. Therefore, Verstappen does not rate his chances in the sprint race very highly.
Verstappen did not manage to climb higher than fourth place during the sprint qualifying and will start the sprint race behind both McLarens and Charles Leclerc. However, according to the Dutchman, it was clear early on in the sprint qualifying session that he could not achieve more than a position on the second starting row.
“As soon as we started the (sprint) qualifying, we were already off,” Verstappen tells Formula1.com. The Red Bull driver also immediately explains why the RB20 could not perform well. “The car was difficult on the bumps. They have laid new asphalt, but I think that has actually made it more difficult to drive on. It is very bumpy everywhere. That is not good for our car. Our car jumps a lot because of this, and that costs me lap time.”
‘We’ll see’
Norris is only 47 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, so the Limburger could use every point. Unfortunately, the Red Bull driver does not think he can achieve much during the shortened race. “Normally, if you are already a bit off over one lap, I don’t think we will be the strongest in the race. We’ll see how that turns out for the sprint.
