Before qualifying in Bahrain, Max Verstappen was the hottest tip for pole position, but the Dutchman only had to settle for second place behind Charles Leclerc in the first qualifying session of the year.
The Red Bull driver was 0.123 seconds behind the Ferrari, and Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari was only a further six-thousandths of a second behind.
“I always knew it was going to be really tight,” Verstappen said, unsurprised at being beaten by Ferrari. “When it’s that close, it’s all about the details and finding that last bit to make the difference.”
Verstappen seemed to have that last bit in the meantime: “I thought I had it in Q2 and really felt very comfortable. But in Q3 it slipped out of my hands a bit,” he says. “But that’s okay.”
Verstappen reveals: “It wasn’t ideal…”
The World Champion says his two attempts at Q3 didn’t feel like the attempts at Q2, which he finished fastest. “The first time we tried something different, and the second time I had to leave a gap. It wasn’t ideal,” he explains.
On the fast laps, the balance was a bit “hit and miss” – depending on the corner. “I slipped quite a bit and then have a little adjustment [am Frontflügel] made for the last run. That helped me in a few areas.”
But in the end it wasn’t enough for the best time: “I had understeer here and oversteer there. I saw it on the Delta on my steering wheel: sometimes I gained a tenth of a second because the track got better, then another tenth of a second lost because of the little moments,” said Verstappen.
The Red Bull could be the fastest car on Sunday
“It just didn’t work the way it did in Q2,” he says, but doesn’t see it as a drama. “In the end I’m still second. It’s a good start for us.” And especially rival Mercedes is to be found much further behind.
And: The Red Bull could be the fastest racing car on Sunday. Ferrari are concerned about the bulls’ long runs, which looked pretty strong on Friday. “Yes, we should have a good car,” said Verstappen. “But Ferrari also worked well over the winter. Hopefully it will be an exciting race.”
In his opinion, Ferrari is also the main competitor in the race, even if Mercedes should never be written off. “I don’t think we’re much faster than Ferrari, but I think we should have a pretty good chance tomorrow,” he said. “At least it looked good every time we drove with a lot of fuel. I hope it will be the same on Sunday.”