For Max Verstappen, it looked like pole position was possible for a while. Charles Leclerc set the fastest time, but the Monegasque also hit the wall hard, causing fears of gearbox damage. Ferrari confirmed in the early afternoon that Leclerc can 'just' start from pole.
So for Verstappen, that means he needs to overtake one car at the start to be up front and that's his goal."I slept well, and it's going well. We'll see what we can do. We know overtaking is going to be difficult, but we will definitely try", the Dutchman told the Build-Up.
Hamilton on the back foot
For the first time since Abu Dhabi 2019, the drivers have a parade around the track again, with many fans present at the track again. There is a lot of waving to the fans and it is good to hear that there are fans again.
Verstappen is looking forward to the race."It's been a pretty good weekend so far. Of course, it was a pity with the red flag in qualifying yesterday, but we are still second and our direct competitor seventh. Hopefully, we can score good points today," Verstappen concluded.