Verstappen's Favorite Pole: 'I Was Smiling And That's Quite Rare'

Monday, 25 December 2023 at 20:00

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen named his favorite pole position after a super successful season.

Max Verstappen concluded in 2023 one of the most dominant seasons Formula 1 has seen in a very long time. One of the ways to measure dominance is by the number of pole positions.

The Dutchman achieved 12 pole positions in 22 races. By achieving 12 pole positions in a single season, the triple World Champion equaled the best score of the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Read also

Verstappen's Pledge To Not Get Beaten By Perez Revealed

What is even more incredible, the 26-year-old turned every single pole position into a race win. Asked to name his favorite pole position, Verstappen told the media:

"Probably Suzuka. Yeah, I've had a few. But yeah, in Suzuka, the car was on rails. It was unbelievable to drive. And, you know, while driving, I was smiling, and that's quite rare in a qualifying lap."

F1 drivers have to be super focused in qualifying laps as they go all out, and the smallest mistake can result in a catastrophe. But Verstappen revealed his qualifying laps at Suzuka Circuit were enjoyable.

The Dutchman put his Red Bull on the pole by more than half of a second ahead of Oscar Piastri on McLaren in second place, who also showed incredible pace that weekend but was still far off.

The triple World Champion completely outperformed all of his competition with a lap that many experts described as "the perfect lap."

The 26-year-old then went on to win the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday race 20 seconds ahead of all the remaining drivers on the grid, confirming his and Red Bull's dominance.

While he enjoyed the super dominant 2023 season, Verstappen already set his expectations lower for upcoming seasons. He still plans to win Championships but expects his rivals to close the performance gap.