Max ahead of Bahrain qualifying: 'Aim to be on second row'
Published on 30 March 2019 by Stefan Meens
After a fifth and sixth place in the Friday practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Max Verstappen previews the remainder of the weekend. “Bahrain is a difficult track to set up the car because of the big difference in sessions. In the evenings, when qualifying and the race are scheduled, it’s a lot colder. Also, the tarmac is very tough on the tyres; they overheat quickly.”
Thus far, the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver is not satisfied with the performance. “The balance was OK but not where we want it. In FP2 we did some good runs on the medium. We should’ve been fastest on that compound but I lost power in the last turn so we lost three of four tenths. Things aren’t working on the softs yet; I had a l lot of understeer.”
Max continues: “It’s interesting how much power the Ferrari has over one lap and gains eight or nine tenths on the main straight. In the long runs, that’s only three of four tenths. That’s not too bad, it means we can race.”
Ahead of qualifying, Max remains realistic: “We have to sort out the balance. During performance runs, Ferrari is incredibly quick. So we can’t control what happens in qualifying because we are losing too much time on the straight. I think front row is not an option, but we’ll aim to be on the second row.
Ultimately, it is all about the Sunday: “The long runs are looking good, eventhough I wasn’t too happy with the car. But it will closer between the top three teams. And ultimately, it’s all about the race. We can overtake here so it could be exciting.”
