Verstappen delivers hilarious Hadjar quip: ‘You don't remember your poles?’
Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
A light-hearted exchange unfolded between Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar during the post-qualifying press conference at Sepang, after the Dutchman secured the 49th pole position of his Formula 1 career and his first of the season.
The top three in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix can boast a combined 153 pole positions over their careers. The only catch is that every single one belongs to Hamilton and Verstappen, with Hadjar yet to claim his maiden pole despite the strong season he has enjoyed with Red Bull so far.
Asked during the press conference where his latest pole position ranked among those he has achieved throughout his career, Verstappen admitted he could not remember them all before turning to Hamilton to see whether the seven-time world champion had any better luck.
"Honestly, I don't remember them all. But I mean, can you imagine? I'm not remembering them. Lewis, do you remember them all? No, for sure not."
Verstappen then jokingly turned to his Red Bull teammate Hadjar, who is still waiting for the first pole position of his F1 career: "You don't remember your poles? They're coming."
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Asked whether this was the most surprising pole position of his career, Verstappen played down the suggestion, explaining that there had been other occasions when pole came as a much bigger shock. However, the Dutchman admitted that heading into qualifying he was still unsure where Red Bull stood compared to its rivals.
"No, for sure not. I've had some shocking poles, but I think from everyone I could say, okay, we might be in the running for it, but then you never know how the other teams are operating. So you have to just wait and see until you get into qualifying. I was probably first in Q1 to entry, so then I think there is a big opportunity to get it."
Photo: Race Pictures
Hamilton sees no easy ride against Verstappen despite front-row spot
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Hamilton explained after qualifying that the extreme heat at Sepang made finding the right set-up particularly challenging throughout the weekend. The high temperatures caused the tyres to overheat as the cars slid around, while Ferrari made numerous changes across the practice sessions in an attempt to improve the balance.
A final adjustment before qualifying ultimately proved decisive, allowing Hamilton to feel considerably more comfortable with the car and close the gap to Verstappen to just two or three tenths.
Attention now turns to the race, where Hamilton expects tyre management to play a crucial role. With overheating becoming an issue almost immediately, even small moments of wheelspin or instability could have a significant impact on stint length. Although encouraged by Ferrari's improved balance, Hamilton acknowledged Verstappen's strong long-run pace and expects keeping up with the Red Bull to be a major challenge.
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