Verstappen: "Even if they start on the hard tyre, it doesn't matter much"

It is a place in the starting line-up that Verstappen knows like no other this season, third place behind the two Mercedes drivers. Also in Portugal this was probably the best result that could be dragged out, although he was close to beating Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

For a moment it seemed that Verstappen could nestle between the two Mercedes drivers, but in the end he came just short. “Yes, I didn't know what was going on and how they were organizing their round. It's not wrong, just very difficult. It was difficult in terms of grip and balance. I think that had to do with tires that were too hard, which was done for safety. They had no experience here and not much has been driven on this new asphalt. That is a bit of a shame," he told Ziggo Sport.

Unlike Albon and the Mercedes drivers, Verstappen did not use the medium tyre during qualifying. "Before qualifying, we decided very quickly not to use the yellow and to focus on the red tyre." So he has an extra set for the race, but according to the Dutchman that will not make the difference. “They have a head start anyway, so that doesn't really matter. Even if they start on the hard tyre, it doesn't matter that much. I still think they can win," concludes a realistic Verstappen.