Verstappen's magic in sprint qualifying leaves F1 analyst stunned

09:10, 26 Jul

byHidde Korte

Max Verstappen secured second place on the sprint qualifying grid, conceding pole position only to Oscar Piastri. While he didn’t claim pole, F1 analyst Peter Windsor was still thrilled with Verstappen’s performance and highlighted exactly where he lost time compared to McLaren.

Once again, Max Verstappen managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and deliver one of his usual qualifying masterstrokes, placing his RB21 sandwiched between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris despite McLaren’s clear superiority.

Verstappen discussing with Mekies and Marko during the GP of Belgium

Windsor praises Verstappen's performance

In his own YouTube channel analysis, Windsor didn't conceal his enthusiasm: ''Hats off. There's always a Max Verstappen story in qualifying in some form or another and this of course is sprint qualifying. I've got to remind you that.''

Windsor noticed where Verstappen fell short compared to the McLarens and hinted towards the fourteenth lap: ''On that corner, in the middle of that corner, which is all about downforce and grip and what state the tyres are in at that point of the lap.''

''And on that measurable point of the corner, turn 14, medium speed corner, Oscar Piastri 178, Charles Leclerc 175, Lando Norris 174, Max Verstappen 169.''

Windsor continued: ''He's letting the car roll in fifth, whereas the two McLarens are in fourth. They can really get the revs up and they can really use the tyres through there. But Max probably already feeling that his tyres are starting to overheat.''

Mekies has good news for Verstappen

Earlier, Laurent Mekies expressed his thoughts about Red Bull Racing's focus. The brand new team boss of Red Bull provided clarity to Verstappen about the direction he wants to take with the team.

Red Bull will do all it can to keep Verstappen. The arrival of Mekies has created a positive atmosphere within the team, something that could possibly make Verstappen stay loyal to Red Bull.