Rain master Max claims sovereign pole
Published on 15 August 2014 by Stefan Meens
A few days after officially joining the Red Bull Junior Team, Max Verstappen once again proved why several Formula 1 teams are keen on signing the talented youngster. With a stellar lap in tricky damp conditions, the 16-year-old Dutchman clinched pole position for the first Euro F3 race at the Nürburgring.
With impressive times throughout the Friday, the Red Bull Junior left his FIA Formula 3 European Championship competitors trailing six tenths when it really mattered. “I’m very happy with this one”, explained a delighted Max.
The Friday gets off to a challenging start with the German race track being tormented by several rain showers. As free practice 1 kicks off, the rain has seized but the circuit is still wet and the drivers take to the tarmac on wet weather tyres.
Despite feeling happy in both the wet and the dry, Max experiences a slight scare. “I was on a fast lap on slicks when all of a sudden it started raining again, just as I approached one of the faster corners. I slid off the track but luckily I could resume without any issues.”
The Van Amersfoort Racing driver finishes the first practice session in fourth. Free practice 2 is also characterized by changing conditions. In the rain, Max is in a class of his own. However, as the track continues to dry, Esteban Ocon pips Max for P1. Nevertheless, Max is pleased with the team’s progress after the practice session. “On both a wet and a dry track the balance of the car is good, but I think I prefer a wet qualifying as our car feels slightly better in those conditions.”
Moments before qualifying 1 gets underway, a typical Eifel rain shower hits the Ring. As Max hits the track, it is apparent that the youngster is full of confidence. Lap after lap he improves his time as he resides at the top of table.
“The first few laps are always tricky because you are trying to find the grip. So it was a case of putting in a quick banker lap. After you’ve set that one, you can seek to improve.”
And improving is exactly what Verstappen junior did. With a staggering 1:37.036, the Dutchman claims pole leaving runner-up Edward Jones trailing by over six tenths. Santino Ferruci and championship leader Ocon occupy the second row on the grid.
“Quali went really well. The car felt easy to drive which gave me confidence and the right feel to push.”
Ahead of qualifying, Max had a clear plan, which in the end, seemed to make the difference. “It’s all about your exit out of the corners because if you don’t get it right, you’ll have wheel spin causing a lot of time loss. That’s what happened to me in free practice so I knew there was more pace in the car.”
Ahead of the first race on Saturday morning, Max is optimistic. “I don’t really have a preference regarding the weather conditions. Dry weather is probably nicer for the fans and to be honest in more fun to drive as you are able to extract more out of the car. It means you can really race to the max.”
The full schedule for the Nürburgring Euro F3 round can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official live timing and the live stream (races only).
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.
FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 9 – Nürburgring – Day 3, Friday August 15:
Results free practice 1
Results free practice 2
Results qualifying 1
