🇨🇳 Happy with the dry practice session today, but the tyres didn’t switch on for me during the wet sprint qualifying. Back at it tomorrow 💪 #KeepPushing
'Deserved': Verstappen Gives Honest Verdict On Qualifying P4 For Spring In China
F1Friday, 19 April 2024 at 13:30
Max Verstappen dominated all of the qualifying sessions in the 2024 F1 season so far, but that changed ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Technically, the Dutch driver still stayed 100% in the qualifying, even after his P4 in China, and that's because it came in the Sprint Shootout, which serves to determine the order for the Sprint race.
Of course, that won't be something he will be looking at, as Verstappen is known for his perfectionism, and finishing fourth in the Sprint Shootout isn't something he will be happy with.
At one point, it seemed that the Dutch driver had a solid lap that could have given him a chance for a front row, but he failed to stop his car in the last corner, going off the track and ruining his lap as well as the following lap.
After the Sprint Shootout, the three-time World Champion wasn't afraid to be self-critical when speaking to Sky Sports, admitting that the result was deserved, as he didn't manage to guide the car to a faster lap in the tricky conditions.
"It was incredibly slippery, I struggled to get the temperature in the tyres. It was difficult to keep the car on the track. It never switched on for me, it felt like I was driving on ice. I think that's why it's deserved where we are in this qualifying, it didn't work for me in the wet conditions."
Despite starting from P4, Verstappen will be still one of the main favourites to win in Sprint, as Red Bull proved that they have the fastest package for dry conditions, and that's something the 26-year-old will try to capitalize on.
"I do think we looked good in the dry, so I am happy with that. It is not ideal to start on the inside here, because there is much less grip. We need to have the best start possible and then it will be a long stint on one set of tyres in the sprint. That will make it very interesting."
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