Verstappen not dissatisfied: "Am happy to be here as number three"

Max Verstappen could not keep up with the two Mercedes cars on Friday. Nevertheless, the Red Bull Racing driver is not dissatisfied with the result. From third place, Verstappen thinks he can do something.

"For us, it's always tricky at this track," he said in initial reaction to Massa. Friday's start didn't go quite as hoped. "We had some more problems in free practice than we wanted, but we recovered reasonably well during qualifying. I'm happy to be here as number three."

Red Bull hopes to get closer

The starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix will be determined by Saturday's sprint race."For the race, hopefully, we can be a bit closer. You never know with tomorrow either. We're going to see in the second free practice if we can find some more speed for the long runs," Verstappen said.

The 23-year-old Dutchman agrees that Mercedes' top speed is difficult to match. "But nevertheless I think we can score good points." In the World Cup, Verstappen is still three points ahead of Hamilton. In the sprint race, points can also be earned (3, 2 and 1).