The reigning world champion was just a little faster than Carlos Sainz, but his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc took pole position. “It went up and down a bit,” said Verstappen. ,,In the last session it was difficult to get the balance right. Other than that, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t too bad either. Otherwise you will not be second. I think this is a good start to a new era.”
Verstappen’s long run on Friday, the race simulation, looked good. He therefore seems to have a good chance of winning on Sunday. “We have a good car. And also a good race car, which is the most important thing in the end. You definitely have to make sure the car is good for the race here, because the tires have a hard time here. It was a nice fight with Charles and Carlos. Ferrari has done well over the winter.”
Leclerc was of course overjoyed, and also surprised, with the fastest time. “We thought Red Bull would be faster,” said the Monegask. “This feels very good. The last two years have been very difficult for the team. The new rules were an opportunity to get back up front. I wasn’t very happy with the way I was riding, but I managed to squeeze that last lap out.”