Max: “It’s extra nice to get such a good qualifying lap at Spa”

Published on 27 August 2017 by Mike Motilall

In general the whole qualifying went well, I’m really happy with that. The car was performing well and my lap felt pretty good so I can be happy with that. Also, Spa-Francorchamps is a super circuit to do a qualifying lap on. When it goes as it went, it’s extra nice. We extracted the most out of it. My lap today deserved more than the fifth place.”

In the free practices you were looking for the right set-up to compensate for the lack of speed on the straights. “Yes, we made a compromise but it didn’t work. So we played on our strengths which was sector two and it seemed to work pretty well.” Were you tempted to try a tow with your team mate, like some other teams did? “Well, it’s very tricky, it can also destroy your lap. So I’m not a massive fan of it.”

How do you see the race? Normally the race pace of the Red Bull is fine. Max: “As usual, our race pace should be better than it is in qualifying. I don’t think we can fight for the podium, but you never know. We must accept that we cannot fight for victories this year.” What’s your plan for that first corner tomorrow? We’ll see tomorrow when the lights go out. It is important to have a good turn one and good through Eau Rouge. After that we’ll see.”

What do you think of the enormous amounts of people in orange shirts, that have travelled to Belgium especially for you? That is great to see. It’s a massive motivation to do well for them. It gives you more selfconfidence. To see so many fans here is pretty nice and very special. When I was driving out of the pits in Q3, there were fans hanging over the fence to encourage you on and everyone was cheering. It is great to see!”  

Belgian GP contest: win 1:8 Max Verstappen helmet scale models