Verstappen: "Looked like that lap wouldn't be good enough"

Max Verstappen managed to achieve a strong performance during qualifying at the Russian Grand Prix. The Dutchman is not only delighted with his lap, but also with the fact that he can start the race on the medium tyre.

After the session Max Verstappen was clearly happy. "To be honest, that was one of my best rounds ever. I really think so. It also felt good. Okay, it's not a pole lap, but I'm very happy that we stayed within five tenths or so of Lewis," the Dutchman says in front of Ziggo Sport's camera.

Qualifying just didn't go well for Verstappen at the start of the session. "It was quite difficult in Q1 and Q2, because the wind had turned 180 degrees compared to FP3 and also yesterday's practice sessions. I had some problems with the balance of the car, also in Q1 and Q2. Where you have the wind from behind, I had too much oversteer. During qualifying, I made a few adjustments, because you can of course change a few things on the steering wheel. Some things worked, some things didn't, and in Q3 you can see how best to bring them together of course. The first run was okay, not quite top and the second run was really good."

Starting on the medium tyre

At the end of Q2 the Dutchman was also just fast enough to continue on the medium tyre. "I was happy with that, because I was a bit annoyed that it looked like that round wouldn't be good enough. In the end it all worked out well, so I'm happy with that.

"My longruns on the medium tyre are good, but of course Mercedes is faster. But for my part the car felt good on that yellow tyre, so I think I can drive my own race and then hopefully I can follow them. That won't be easy, because in general they still have a bit more speed than us, but compared to those guys behind us, I think we were able to take a step with the car today. Absolutely a smile behind the hood," concludes Verstappen.