Verstappen got nightmares from pole lap: 'Similar to failed 2021 attempt!'

The fact Max Verstappen gets to start the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix from pole position will come as no surprise to anyone. However, the result was not a foregone conclusion, the Red Bull Racing driver said after qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

"It was a very good day. We improved the car a little bit overnight, and that gave me a bit more confidence to attack the high-speed corners, and around here, it depends a lot on your confidence level and how much you can go to the limit," Verstappen began after the session.

The Dutchman said he felt very comfortable in the car. "In my first lap in Q3, I felt pretty happy with the lap. It felt almost a bit like the failed 2021 lap, except I made the last corner," he laughed. "It was very good. I had a lot of fun, and the car behaved very well."

Verstappen stresses that a victory in an F1 race is not as obvious as it might seem. "As we have seen in the past, there have been a lot of crazy races around here. A lot can happen. Normally, people say, 'It's an easy one-stop, easy to the line'. But It's not like that around here. A lot of straight as well. But I'm confident that with the race pace we have, the car will work really well," Verstappen said.