Max qualifies in fourth for the 70th Anniversary GP: 'Tried something else'

Published on 08 August 2020 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen finished fourth fastest after qualifying for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on Silverstone. The Dutchman drove a 1:26.176 in the third part of qualifying with which he secured a second row start. Verstappen did his fastest time in Q2 on the harder compound tyre, which means that he will be the only one in the top ten starting on the white striped rubber. Valtteri Bottas took the pole home as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg rounded out the top ten.

“We tried something else and luckily I made it through to Q2”, says Max after qualifying. “A fourth place is not what we wanted but you can see that Racing Point has been competitive all weekend. I am very happy for Nico. He should have been on the grid already normally. And I hope that this will give him a seat for next year.”

Qualifying was not without flaws, not according to Verstappen: “Driving on a different set of tyres was not the only thing that made a difference. The wind also played a part, causing the balance not to be good, but it’s the same for all the drivers. Our car seems to be pretty sensitive to that. On my last lap, I lost some time in sector two, but it is what it is.”

The Dutchman ends with a preview of tomorrow’s race: “I just hope I can have a clean start. The hard tyre this weekend was last week’s medium one, so I don’t think it’s going to be that bad compared to what the top ten is starting on. Of course you might lose a little in the initial launch but I think it’s going to be better in the first stint. It also depends if there are safety cars or not. At least it’s different to what everyone is doing around me. We just have to wait and see if we can do a better job tomorrow.”

Under an almost entire clear blue sky, accompanied with a temperature of 26 degrees C., the first part of qualifying gets underway. The Haas-drivers, together with Nico Hülkenberg and George Russell are the first ones out on track. Max Verstappen does a 1:27.154 in his first timed lap which is his first and ultimately only lap in Q1. For a brief moment he topped the board. The Dutchman is then heard saying on the radio that the circuit is very windy.

When time has run out in the first part of qualifying, it’s Lewis Hamilton who comes out on top with a 1:26.738. Valtteri Bottas (+0.080) and Alexander Albon (+0.415) round out the top three as Max (+0.416) makes it safely to the second part of qualifying. Daniil Kvyat, Kevin Magnussen, Nicholas Latifi, Romain Grosjean and Kimi Räikkönen are the first casualties in qualifying, dropping out in Q1.

At the start of the second part of qualifying we see Max as the only driver on a set of the harder compound on track. Which means Aston Martin Red Bull Racing is upping the ante with another race strategy. The Dutchman does a 1:26.779 in his first flying round, which earns him P4. Valtteri Bottas (1:25.785), Lewis Hamilton (+0.481) and Daniel Ricciardo (+0.851) are the top three after the first few runs.

This round as well, Verstappen sticks to just one single timed lap. He eventually drops back to P9, but that’s good enough to see him move on to the third and final part of qualifying. The eight-time Grand Prix-winner will be the only one in the top starting on the white striped compound. Valtteri Bottas is the fastest one with a 1:25.785. Esteban Ocon, Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz, Romain Grosjean and George Russell fall short and are the five drop outs in the second part of qualifying.

The battle for the top spot now commences. Lando Norris gets matters underway with a 1:27.250, after which Lewis Hamilton takes over the lead as he lapped the track in a 1:25.284. Valtteri Bottas slots in in second place with a little over a tenth. Max Verstappen does a 1:26.432 on a set of mediums, which earns him the fifth fastest time.

The Dutchman then has the red striped softs strapped on to his RB16. In his second and final run, Max takes some three tenths off of his time which ultimately puts him fourth leaving him to start the race from the second row. Valtteri Bottas snatches pole with a 1:25.154 and keeps Lewis Hamilton, starting second, at bay. Even though the gap to both Mercedes is substantial, Nico Hülkenberg manages to pull off a very decent run in his Racing Point and will be starting the race from third.  

70th Anniversary GP contest: win a Red Bull Racing 2020 backpack!

Results qualifying Great Britain: