Max Verstappen says his fastest time in a sprint at the United States Grand Prix was possible because Red Bull gave him a more comfortable car.
The last time he was fastest in a qualifying session was in Belgium, but a grid penalty for taking a new powerplant meant he did not start from pole position. Before that he was fastest in the Austrian qualifying session in July, and after returning to the lead in the sprint shootout at COTA, the championship leader said he liked the car better on Friday.
“It was just a positive day,” Verstappen said. “I think the car was in a good window from the first lap. I felt pretty comfortable. I was able to attack high-speed corners. I think we were pretty fast there.
“Then getting into Sprint qualifying is always tricky. I do medium-medium-soft. Of course, you can get a little reference at one point in the Medium, but once you get into the SQ3, it’s not easy because it has soft tires and really only has one wheel. As with everyone, you can’t really push it to the limit, you have to leave a little bit of room, and that was okay.
“If you look at the lap, there are still some balance issues, but I think it’s positive that we’re ahead of the rest. Even when I look at Lewis, I think [Hamilton] There was a little mistake [Turn] 12, otherwise I think he would have been there too. “I’m happy, but I also know there are a lot of fast cars around me, so it’s definitely a positive result.”
Verstappen’s comments about Hamilton were backed by the seven-time world champion. He said a yellow flag due to a spin by Franco Colapinto cost him what he thought might have been his fastest time.
“I was unlucky and got a yellow flag and that meant I was 0.4 seconds ahead,” said Hamilton after team-mate George Russell edged Verstappen by 0.012 seconds.
“The good thing is that the team has taken a step forward with the car. The upgrade definitely paid off. We would like to thank everyone who has worked hard at the factory during this period as it has been hard work for everyone. Get the upgrade and see if it works properly. Tomorrow we get another chance.”
