Japanese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen stuns Red Bull and McLaren with the “special” pole
Was the tour that Max Verstappen put in pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix the best of his career?
Red Bull’s same driver thought it was up there.
“It’s difficult,” said Verstappen. “I mean, I also had some really nice ones in other places too. But I think that if you look at how our season started, even during this weekend … Yes, it is very unexpected, I would say. And I think it is probably very special.”
His Red Bull team was amazed. And so were McLaren.
Verstappen had not seemed to be like for the pole at any time on the weekend until the last round of qualifying in Suzuka. If McLaren had a rival, he had looked until then as if George Russell would most likely have been.
The four -time champion was struggling with the balance of his Red Bull during the test sessions.
The team was changing after the change in the car to try to make the driver happier. But during the first races in the final qualification session, it was even more than 0.2 seconds slower than the fastest McLaren, at that time Oscar Piastri.
But then Verstappen did something special. Really special.
“The last tour,” he said, “I was like: ‘Well, I won’t try to feel comfortable – just send him and see what we get.
“It is very rare, of course, that such a tour can then remain, but this time it worked well.”
Where, exactly, had “sent” and hoped for the best?
“Exit (turn) one,” he said. “In two, six, seven, eight and then spoons (curve). Those places where I was like:” Well, I hope it will stick. “But he did it.”
