Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Entering Q3, it seemed like Max Verstappen could also have a shot at pole position, but in the end, the Dutchman had to settle for sixth position on the grid. Controlling the balance of the RB20 still turned out to be difficult during the last 12 minutes of the session, he explained. However, he has one goal in mind: Finish ahead of Lando Norris.
"For my feeling the car is bouncing in all directions," Verstappen told Dutch media following the session, including GPblog. "You had to be very precise. Every very small thing was immediately punished. That then happened in Q3. And that last run in Q3; immediately in Turn 1, I didn't have the feeling in the car. It was bouncing in every direction. You don't want to take a ridiculous amount of risk either, and then you put it into the wall."
Verstappen especially wants to finish ahead of Norris
The Dutchman has an important goal in mind, that in context of the championship battle is more important than a single race win. "The sweetest thing is to finish ahead of Lando [Norris], of course. That's the most important thing," Verstappen stated.
According to the Dutchman, Norris - who will start from P16 on Sunday - is going finish definitely in the points. Verstappen is convinced: "He was fast [in qualifying] though. So you know, it's not that he starts seventeenth and has no speed. So we are going to see."
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This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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