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Max Verstappen’s sister, Victoria Verstappen, dropped a two-word reaction after he clinched pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old delivered a masterful drive to lock in the top spot at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The Red Bull Racing driver, who had entered the Saudi race on the back of a torrid outing at the Bahrain Grand Prix, successfully fended off stiff competition posed by several other drivers, including McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell, to clinch the pole. However, while Verstappen claiming pole position was impressive in itself, it was the manner and strategy with which he secured it that has drawn several reactions.
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The four-time champion, having two sets of soft tires at his disposal following a crash involving Lando Norris, opted to complete two flying laps with both sets — a calculated move that gave him the edge over other drivers at the Jeddah event. The masterfully executed strategy from Verstappen prompted his sister to share her thoughts on her brother on social media.
Sharing on her Instagram story, Victoria posted a picture celebrating Verstappen on pole alongside the caption:
“The Best.”
It is difficult to argue against the dominance Max Verstappen has displayed in F1 in recent seasons. The pole position at the Saudi race qualifying was his second of the season, following his performance at the Japanese Grand Prix. It also saw him set a new lap record at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit — 1:27.294, eclipsing the 1:27.472 benchmark he achieved in 2024.
Max Verstappen reacts after Saudi GP pole position
Max Verstappen shared his thoughts after clinching pole position at the Saudi Grand Prix. The Dutch driver edged out Oscar Piastri by one-hundredth of a second to secure the highest starting position ahead of Sunday’s race.
Sharing his thoughts in the aftermath of the qualifying session, he stated he didn’t expect the pole position after his experience in the car at the end of practice three.
Speaking to the media via Planet F1, he stated:
“I’m very happy. I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here after FP3 and looking at how the whole weekend was.”
He went on to credit the Red Bull team for the key adjustments made ahead of qualifying. Max Verstappen continued:
“We made some final changes and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive. The grip was coming to me, and around here, qualifying is extremely difficult because of all the walls. You need to try and nail it.
“It’s really satisfying to be first here in qualifying—the best position for tomorrow—even though I think tomorrow in the race it will be tough to keep them behind. But we’re going to give it a good go.”
The pole position on the night was his second consecutive at the Jeddah circuit. He will aim to replicate his performance from last year, where he claimed pole and converted it to victory. Another race win for Verstappen would also move him closer to the possibility of winning his fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.
