Verstappen foresees problems: 'Midfield is much closer together'

Max Verstappen will have to prepare for a tough race tomorrow, as he has to start from the back of the grid. This has also led to a striking choice during qualifying.

Normally Verstappen is someone who wants to get the maximum out of every qualifying session, but today the session was very short for the Dutchman. At the end of his first fast lap, he decided not to cross the start-finish line, but to go straight into the pit lane to end his qualifying.

According to the Dutchman, the risk was in fact too great. "We decided not to do too many laps in qualifying as the risk of having a moment or an accident would not be worth it, especially as I’m starting from the back of the grid tomorrow," Verstappen told Red Bull Racing's Team Review.

Despite the wet weather and a cancelled third free practice, the driver is looking forward to tomorrow's race. "The track conditions were fine and there was good grip, I think it will be similar conditions during the race. The Team did a great job and I’m confident that we made a good decision about how we set up the car."

Still, Verstappen does not expect the race at Sochi Autodrom to be a walk in the park. "Looking ahead to tomorrow, it’s always tricky as naturally the midfield will be a bit closer but it will be important to go out there and score as many points as possible, we’ll do our very best. Hopefully, we can have a fun race," concludes the Red Bull Racing driver.