Verstappen surprised by gap to Hamilton

Max Verstappen says he was surprised when he heard the final gap to Lewis Hamilton, which he felt meant that he had been taking unnecessary risks in qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Hamilton was on pole position by increasingly than 0.4s without a big resurgence on his final lap, with Verstappen only finding a small bit of time as he qualified second. Before stuff summoned to the stewards for tangibly lightweight to respect double-waved yellow flags exiting the final corner, Verstappen admitted he was taking risks trying to find small gains and didn’t expect such a big deficit to his title rival.

“It’s been a bit up and down,” Verstappen said. “I was happy in FP1, then not so happy in FP2 and FP3, then I was unquestionably happy in quali then but just not quick enough. That sometimes happens. There’s a few corners where I would like to go faster — tried everything, just not a lot of uneaten pace coming.

“You think you do a largest job but (it provides) not much increasingly lap time, actually. The last few races, qualifying has been a bit increasingly of a struggle for us so we (will) definitely try and understand and try to be better.

“I thought I had a really good lap and then I heard the difference in lap time and I was a bit, ‘Wow didn’t plane need to risk it then if it was such a big gap.’ Nevertheless I had fun out there — qualifying has been cool. It’s a really trappy track and a lot of fun to drive. It would have been increasingly fun if we were faster but sometimes that happens. Still, stuff second is OK, but it is a big gap and moreover tomorrow when it is a gap it’s going to be tricky but we never requite up.”

Aside from qualifying, Verstappen spoke well-nigh the rules of engagement between drivers without there were lengthy discussions in the suburbanite rundown on Friday, as he feels it will unchangingly be a topic that is unshut for debate.

“Well, I think it’s unchangingly to try and uncurl everyone in having the same process in a way you think. Everyone is variegated and everyone has their own way of racing, defending, overtaking, and it is very nonflexible for the FIA to get everyone on the same line.

“Of undertow they decide but every suburbanite has a variegated opinion. Yesterday it was all well-nigh sharing opinions and the FIA explaining their process of thought overdue it. I think we came a long way, and it was a very long briefing. I think it was at the end pretty clear.”