Verstappen frustrated: 'I wanted to start on the medium'

Max Verstappen will start the season finale in Abu Dhabi from pole position, with his title rival Lewis Hamilton alongside him on the front row. Sergio Perez sacrificed his first flying lap to aid Verstappen with a tow to set that fastest time, but the Dutchman will start the race on the soft compound of tyre.

The tow produced by Perez wasn't as great as once expected, giving Verstappen around one tenth of speed, but it helped him secure the first space on the grid for Sunday's race. Speaking at the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen, who pulled out an incredible pole lap, revealed he "wanted to start on the medium" but he won't be able to after he flat-spotted his set in Q2.

After locking-up into the first corner, Verstappen flat-spotted his medium tyres, and that forced Red Bull to alter their strategy as the soft tyre was required in that second qualifying session. The Dutchman will start the race on the soft compound, compared to the mediums tyres that will be on Hamilton's car.

'I wanted to start on the medium'

"For sure, it was very nice on the first run. On the second run I had a very good exit out of seven, but for sure it was a nice tow on the first run. It wasn't always the plan, I wanted to start on the medium but flat spotted that one.

"I felt good yesterday on the long run on the soft, so not a difficult decision to make to focus on the soft. [Excited] Yeah, especially when you're first that's where you want to be," Verstappen concluded.