Max Verstappen is content with his third-place position on the starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix. “At least I’m a bit more satisfied than before,” he said after the qualifying round where he had to yield to pole sitter Oscar Piastri and World Championship leader Lando Norris.
Verstappen knows that, with a 25-point deficit, he must finish ahead of Norris on Sunday if he wants to keep his chances for the world title alive. The Dutchman will therefore go on the offensive. “With P3 on the second row, there are still quite a few possibilities,” Verstappen remained optimistic in an initial reaction after qualifying. “However, overtaking here is difficult. The weekend has not turned out as I had hoped, but who knows what we can do in the race.”
The car felt a bit better for Verstappen in the qualifying round than before, he said. “It went a bit better, even though we are still quite far behind the others. But I’m a bit more satisfied.”
Earlier on Saturday, Verstappen finished fourth in the sprint race in Qatar, behind winner Piastri, second-place George Russell, and third-place Norris.
The standings in the World Championship prior to the race, with regard to the three title contenders, are as follows: 1. Norris 396, 2. Piastri 374, and 3. Verstappen 371. This means that Verstappen must finish ahead of Norris to have a chance at the (fifth) world title in the final race in Abu Dhabi. Piastri, starting from pole, will in turn have to stay ahead of Norris to significantly catch up and increase his chances of winning the title.
