Verstappen hails Red Bull for salvaging Qatari weekend with setup changes
Having bagged his ninth victory of the year and the first one in the dry since the Red Bull Ring, four-time world champion Max Verstappen sounded a positive note after Red Bull had saved his weekend with an extensive setup overhaul.
Following a low-key showing in Qatar F1 Sprint, Max Verstappen bounced back with an eye-catching performance in the main qualifying for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix. The newly-crowned four-time world champion looked strong from the get-go, with Red Bull having made several tweaks to his RB20 following the sprint race.
The Dutchman needed a quick lap in the dying seconds of Q3 to beat George Russell, which he was able to deliver to secure his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, he was stripped of his pole position for a yellow flag incident. The Dutchman was upset by the decision, but he regained the lead at the start of the race, and did not let the victory slip through his fingers despite three safety car interventions.
Reflecting on his first victory in dry conditions since the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen has revealed that he was surprised by the turnaround his team achieved with the setup changes it had performed between the sprint race and the main qualifying session.
“I enjoyed the race quite a lot overall, especially at the beginning with Lando and I pushing each other quite hard. We were leading by Turn 1 after starting P2, and were able to maximise and get the tyres in the right window.
"The car felt much better and I enjoyed it a lot out there today. It was nice to win in the dry as well, it has been quite a few races since we’ve achieved that. It was definitely not a boring race and there was a lot to manage with the restarts and safety cars throughout, but we learned from that and were able to stay in front.
"I am very proud to win here in Qatar, and proud of the Team for our performances this weekend, it is a great track and one of my favourites on the calendar. We have to make sure we nail our setup in Abu Dhabi and to hopefully finish the season with another great race.”
