Max Verstappen says he didn't set the ideal lap in qualifying for the Azerbaijan GP. The World Cup leader starts third
So much talk about Red Bull being favorites for the Azerbaijan GP weekend, but the qualifying result on Saturday (11) was the same as the previous three - and five of the other seven for the 2022 season - with Charles Leclerc pole-position. Max Verstappen admitted that he didn't do a great last lap in Q3 and that it was worth his third place.
The World Driver's Championship leader stated that he left lap time on the last attempt and that, although it was not what he would have liked, starting with both cars just behind Leclerc and in front of Carlos Sainz offers an interesting chance for victory. He also assessed that it is clear that the pace of the opening lap leaves something to be desired.
"I think the start of the lap was good, but then it got away from me a little bit because of some mistakes. It wasn't ideal, but I generally had a hard time finding the balance between front and rear at lap pace," he said.
"It's not what I would like to do, but the team being second and third gives us a good opportunity for tomorrow," he continued.
"There's something missing for us in pace for laps thrown in, that's clear. Usually in longer stints the car is good, and here it should be the same," he finished.
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