'It's Been While': Verstappen 'Happy' To Secure Pole Position For Sprint Race

Saturday, 19 October 2024 at 10:41

Max Verstappen shared his fresh thoughts with the media right after snatching the pole position start for the Sprint race in Austin, and he asserted, "It's been a while."

Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of the weekend, Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen admitted he didn't really know what to expect as he didn't previously test the new upgrades (which Red Bull brought to the United States Grand Prix) on the simulator.

With only one practice session ahead of the Sprint Qualifying, the Dutchman was able to dial in the right setup, which allowed him to score the pole position for the Sprint race on Saturday.

On the other hand, it should be noted that it wasn't with a super comfortable margin. The Dutchman was one of the last drivers to cross the finish line in the final part of the qualifying, and his lap was only 0.012 seconds faster than George Russell's, who will start from P2.

Speaking to David Coulthard in the Parc Ferme right after he got out of his car, Max Verstappen suggested it was a pretty good day for him:

"We had a good day. Of course, sprint qualifying is always difficult. You do medium-medium and then a soft; you never know how hard you can push."

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"I'm happy with today. The whole day, the car was doing quite well. And of course I'm very happy to be first, it's been a while."

Following last year's edition of the United States Grand Prix, multiple F1 drivers, including Max Verstappen, complained about the old, bumpy tarmac. Since then, a major part of the circuit has been resurfaced, and the Dutchman now says it felt much better.

"This track is amazing to drive. With the new tarmac, combined with the older tarmac, the very old tarmac, the bumpy stuff - it's not easy."

"At the end of the day it's the same for everyone, but to deal with it over one lap is not the easiest. But it's fun. We'll do the best we can tomorrow in the sprint."