Brown not shocked by Max Verstappen’s Abu Dhabi pole lap: ‘Chucky did it’

Speaking to ViaPlay in the aftermath of the qualifying session for the championship decider, the McLaren CEO described the session as a tough one, highlighting Verstappen’s lap time and looking ahead to the main race.

“It's definitely game on. It's going to be an epic race tomorrow, top three guys in the championship, one, two, three on the grid. That was a hard qualifying session. Max [Verstappen] pulled out an awesome lap time twice, and let's see what the race brings tomorrow,” Brown said.

Pressed further about whether he was surprised by the blistering pace Verstappen showed, particularly in the final stages of qualifying, the American motorsports chief added:

Verstappen stormed to pole position for the Abu Dhabi race. The Red Bull Racing driver clocked a lap time of 1:22.207, over two tenths ahead of Lando Norris, who was only quick enough for second place. Oscar Piastri followed his McLaren teammate in third, just a few hundredths further down the timing sheet.

Brown also revealed McLaren’s approach to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 54-year-old stated his team would not take a conservative approach but would aim for a race victory.

“We do have a good race car, but both drivers want to win, and the margins are so small that if we don’t try and win and play it safe, you’ll get overtaken. We’re playing to win tomorrow. It’s going to be an exciting first lap,” he said.

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