Verstappen fourth in qualifying Sochi, starts race from P9: 'No more in it'

Published on 28 September 2019 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen qualified fourth for the Russian Grand Prix. The Dutchman set a time of 1:32.310 in the last part of qualifying, taking fourth position. Max will start the race from ninth place because of a grid penalty. Charles Leclerc took on the 5.848-kilometre-long Sochi Autodrom his fourth consecutive pole position. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel completed the top three.

“There is nothing more in it”, says Max after qualifying. “We lose too much on the straights and in the last sector we were not the best. There was more wind which gave us issues at the rear of the car.”

Aston Martin Red Bull racing seemed to be very strong in the first two free practice session on Friday. What makes the difference? “Ferrari had not turned up their engines”, explains the Dutchman. “Then we had the same speed on the straights, but that is where we lose today, all in all, more than a second. We cannot do anything about that. To end in between the Mercedes is the best we could do today.”

Max concludes looking forward to the race tomorrow: “I think if we manage to get back to a fourth or fifth place, we do well. Ferrari is to quick and Lewis starts further ahead on a different strategy, so I do not expect to challenge him.”

Underneath some light clouds qualifying in Sochi gets underway. Max sets a 1:33.368 on his first timed lap on the soft tyres, which puts him in second position. Teammate Alexander Albon does not do so well. The Thai-British driver loses control over his RB15 in turn 14 and ends backwards in the barriers ending his qualifying. The session is stopped for a short while to clear away the damaged Red Bull.

With more than six minutes on the clock the track is cleared and the drivers get on with their business. Verstappen does not come out again and goes as third to the second part of qualifying. Kimi Räikkönen, George Russell, Robert Kubica, Alexander Albon and Daniil Kvyat are the first group of drop outs.

Max comes out on track straight away in Q2 and sets a 1:33.092 in his first run. The Dutchman takes the first place, but not long after the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (1:32.434) and Sebastian Vettel (1:33.091) move him down into P3. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas take P4 and P5, but the drivers of the German team have set their time on the medium tyre, unlike the top three.

Also at the end of the second part of qualifying are Ferrari the fastest. Max was able to improve his time with more than four tenths and ends Q2 in third position with a 1:32.634. Hamilton and Bottas do not improve their times and will start the race tomorrow on the medium tyres. Pierre Gasly, Sergio Pérez, Antonio Giovinazzi, Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll do not make it into Q3.

After the first runs in Q3 Charles Leclerc (1:31.801) is leading, with more than three tenths ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel. Verstappen has quite a bit of wheelspin coming out of the last corner and ends with a 1:32.729 in P5, behind Hamilton (P3) and Bottas (P4).

There is a short period of silence, after which the drivers enter the track for the last time. Leclerc is able to improve his time again and takes pole position with a wide margin. Hamilton puts himself between the two Ferraris just quicker than Vettel, who does not improve. Max ends the session in a 1:32.310 in fourth position, but a five place grid penalty will put the Dutchman tomorrow on P9 on the grid.

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Results qualifying Russia: