Verstappen indentifies area where Mercedes have advantage in Abu Dhabi

After qualifying in third place ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he will start from second place due to Valtteri Bottas' grid penalty, Max Verstappen identified grip on the rear tyres as the difference between Mercedes and the rest of the grid.

The Dutchman will start on the front row on Sunday for the second race in a row after his pole position in Brazil, from which he went on to win the race. This time around, he's not as confident as he was at Interlagos, as he knows Mercedes simply have the quicker car in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to Dutch television station Ziggo Sport, Verstappen explained why the Silver Arrows' rear grip is what makes all the difference on a track like the Yas Marina Circuit.

"In the last sector we were just lacking something, so it [P3] was all we could do," the 22-year-old analysed. "They [Mercedes] have always been dominant on this track. That has to do with grip on the rear.

"Across the whole year, it [rear grip] has gotten better [at Red Bull] and on some tracks it's more important than on others. Here, in that final sector which only has slow corners as well as downhill corners, you have to have a lot of grip in the rear. Compared to Mercedes, we don't have that much."

Looking ahead to Sunday's race, where Verstappen accompanies Lewis Hamilton on the front row, the eight-time Grand Prix winner highlighted the importance of a good start and gaining track position, as he knows he can't win the event on race pace alone.

"In general, they're quicker so we just need a good start. Maybe we can do something then. Generally speaking, I think it's going to be difficult [to win]."