Max Verstappen will start from pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman narrowly defeated Oscar Piastri in the qualifying session, but questions whether he can repeat this feat during the race. “So far, I don’t have the utmost confidence,” Verstappen admits candidly.
Max Verstappen secured pole position in the final stages of qualifying in Jeddah. The Dutchman was only a hundredth of a second faster than Oscar Piastri, who will start the race from second place. Therefore, Verstappen is not entirely confident that he can beat the McLaren driver during the race.
“So far, I don’t have the utmost confidence, to be honest,” Verstappen says in Saudi Arabia. “My long runs weren’t really great compared to Oscar and Lando’s (Norris). Of course, I will give it my all, but will it be enough? I don’t know.”
The Red Bull driver consistently finished behind the two McLaren drivers in the free practice sessions, making the pole position somewhat of a surprise. “The car is definitely a bit better compared to when we tested it on Friday, so I hope that will also help our tires. I will certainly try.”
Tires
Whether the RB21 can compete with the McLarens on the hard tire is, according to Verstappen, the biggest question mark. The world champion has not yet used that compound in Jeddah. “I think we will mainly not be very competitive on the medium tires,” Verstappen adds. “When it gets a bit warmer, like during the third free practice, we fall a bit short. In the race, you stabilize at a high temperature, and that’s where most teams generally struggle more.”
