Max Verstappen is notably disappointed after his sixth-place finish in the sprint qualifying in Qatar, expressing low expectations for the upcoming sprint race. “Battling with other cars will be very challenging,” he predicts.
Fresh off his celebration as a newly minted four-time world champion in Las Vegas last week, Verstappen’s focus is now on finishing the season as strongly as possible. However, this will be a significant challenge for him in Qatar, as evidenced by the sprint qualifying. “We had no speed at all, I couldn’t really attack. The sixth place is more or less where we belong. Or maybe even P7,” he admits.
Making his way forward during the sprint race is likely not on the cards. “It will be difficult with this speed,” Verstappen laments. And what about the qualifying for the Grand Prix itself? The sprint race is scheduled for 15:00 Dutch time on Saturday, with the qualifying at 19:00. “Perhaps we can improve the car a bit for that qualifying, but I don’t expect a complete turnaround where everything suddenly gets much better.
