Verstappen worried for a moment: 'Luckily the lap was still good enough'

Max Verstappen was relieved with the result after the qualification of the Grand Prix in Imola. The Red Bull Racing driver was convincing and managed to beat Charles Leclerc. In the press release from the Austrian racing stable, Verstappen sounds very satisfied.

It was not easy for the drivers to put in a good performance on Friday. Partly due to heavy rainfall, they barely managed to keep the cars on the track, resulting in no less than five red flags. It caused the qualifying to drag on and it was difficult to stay sharp.

For Verstappen, it was also difficult to set a good lap time, he explains. "It was good out there today but also very easy to make mistakes," states the reigning world champion. "So luckily we mainly stayed out of trouble."

Verstappen breathes a sigh of relief

In doing so, Verstappen was lucky to set the fastest time. During this lap, there was in fact a yellow flag visible, so Verstappen had to reduce speed. "It does cost you lap time but luckily the lap was still good enough for pole."