Chaotic rainswept quali 1 grants Max P2
Published on 05 July 2014 by Stefan Meens
In tricky conditions, Max Verstappen set the second fastest time in the first qualifying session at the Zandvoort Masters. The rain made for a chaotic session, which had to be aborted four times after several drivers were caught out and ended in the gravel traps. In the end, Max missed out on P1 to fellow countryman Jules Szymkowiak.
Several hours before qualifying is scheduled, an old-fashioned Dutch rain shower arrives at the circuit in the dunes. However, the new challenging conditions don not faze Max. “These are great times, I don’t mind if it’s wet or dry.”
As the session kicks off, the drivers head out on rain tyres to get a banker lap in. Moments after the first flying lap is on the board, the session is stopped for the first time after Steijn Schothorst parks his car in the gravel at the Tarzan corner. The famous first turn also tricks Sam MacLeod, Martin Cao and Nikita Zlobin, resulting in the session being stopped a further three times.
With five minutes to go, the drivers go out for their final run. Szymkowiak, driving for Van Amersfoort Racing, tames the tricky conditions and sets a provisional pole time of 1:47.495. Max, despite struggling to find grip, puts in a solid 1:48.219, granting him P2. His Team Motopark team mate Indy Dontje completes the top three.
“Despite qualifying being stopped four times, I managed to find my rhythm. However, it didn’t go as well as I hoped. We set-up the car for very wet conditions and when the track dried so quickly, we didn’t have enough grip as the tyre pressure and set-up weren’t optimal. It’s a shame we couldn’t do more”, explains Max.
Max still has a chance to steal pole position as the best time out of the two qualifying session determines the grid. “Hopefully we’ll have a dry second qualifying so I can fight for pole”, concludes an ambitious Max.
Via Twitter and Facebook we will keep you updated throughout the weekend followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action.
The full schedule for the Zandvoort Masters can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official live timing.
