Max Verstappen expected a little more from qualifying | Motorsport

sport">“Third place is not bad, but I expected to be able to fight a little more with Mercedes,” said Verstappen, who only set one timed lap in Q2, because he had to abort his first attempt due to a spark plug problem.

sport">“That didn’t make it a great qualifying session. I had also drove two laps in Q1 and in Q2 it got a bit tricky because of those problems. ”

sport">Verstappen did manage to make it to the final qualifying heat on the medium tire, so that he, like pole sitter Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, will start on that tire during Sunday’s race (1.10 p.m.).

sport">“That was good, but because I didn’t get much action in Q2, I didn’t have a great reference towards Q3. The first lap in it was a bit difficult. I didn’t have that much grip. The second run was a bit better, but it wasn’t easy all in all. ”

sport">In the end, Verstappen conceded a little more than 5.5 tenths on Bottas’ fastest time. His old teammate Pierre Gasly will start next to him in the second row on Sunday.

sport">The Dutchman did enjoy driving on the Imola circuit, where Formula 1 has returned for the first time since 2006. “It’s great to drive here. I thought beforehand that it would be a bit too tight for these types of cars, but it’s going fine. ”

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