Max Verstappen explained the dramatic end to his qualifying session in the last corner of the Jeddah Corniche circuit ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was disappointed with the final result at a circuit where his car looked extremely competitive in qualifying.
What looked like a historic pole lap in the making ended tragically when Verstappen clipped the wall in the final corner of his penultimate attempt in qualifying. While third place is a consolation, it could have been an easy front-row start for the championship leader and an easier race ahead.
Speaking at the FIA press conference after the qualifying session, Max Verstappen explained his final lap and said:
“I arrived there and my feeling was brake at the same point, and I had a little lockup and I still tried to finish the lap, and I clipped the wall on the exit so I couldn’t continue. Yeah it is extremely disappointing.”
The Red Bull F1 team is yet to confirm if his car needs a gearbox change, necessitated by the damage sustained in the incident. From the looks of it, however, it seems like the damage on Max Verstappen’s car wasn’t as severe as the crash at Silverstone where he smashed into the barriers in a racing incident with his title contender.
Max Verstappen is disappointed after his dramatic crash in the qualifying session
Max Verstappen’s crash in qualifying has disappointed the young Red Bull F1 driver, who leads the Drivers' Championship, and is prepared to seal the title this weekend itself. A pole position in qualifying for him could have led to a comfortable start to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Explaining his disappointment at the result in qualifying, Max Verstappen said:
“I thought we had a good car in qualifying and everything seemed to be coming together which is hard. To nail the lap also in the Q1 Q2 it traffic and stuff, Q3 it was good but unfortunately I couldn’t finish the lap. So of course it is extremely disappointing.”
All hope is not lost despite the Dutchman’s premature end to the qualifying session, with a second row start to the race from third place giving him a chance to recover. Max Verstappen will, however, need a drama-free race on every lap of the unpredictable Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
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