“We don’t do this on purpose”: Max Verstappen addresses the track limits issue despite winning pole position at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP

Max Verstappen charged his way to pole position in the qualifying session for the 2023 Austrian GP. The Dutchman has now taken his fourth consecutive pole position in 2023, putting himself in the best possible position to win the race on Sunday.

Verstappen is well on his way to gifting his team the perfect gift, taking pole at the Austrian team's home track. Last time around in Canada, the 25-year-old gave his team their 100th overall win in the sport, showcasing his and the team's current dominant form. The theme of the qualifying session was the heavily-enforced track limits, with many drivers being caught out in the final two corners.

Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez was one of the drivers who was caught out by track limits and will start the race in P15, much to the dismay of his fans and team. Max Verstappen's 2022 championship rival Charles Leclerc put in a stellar lap at the end of Q3, finishing P2 behind the Dutchman.

Speaking about track limits with Jolyon Palmer in Parc Ferme after the event, Verstappen said:

"It was very difficult due to track limits. We don't do this on purpose but with these speeds and all these high speed corners, it's so hard to judge the white line. That's why you could see a lot of people getting caught out - including myself. It is about surviving. Even in Q3, you just want a banker a lap."

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Max Verstappen would outperform Lewis Hamilton in the Red Bull, claims F1 pundit

F1 pundit Peter Windsor claims even Lewis Hamilton would struggle to match Verstappen's form with Red Bull given his synergy with Adrian Newey. Hamilton and Verstappen going head-to-head in the RB19 is perhaps the biggest 'what if's in the sport.

Many feel that Hamilton would be able to take the fight to the Dutchman, who has been in dominant form since the aerodynamic regulation changes of 2022. However, Windsor believes that the Dutchman's brilliantly "symbiotic" relationship with Adrian Newey will give him the edge over Hamilton, making it "almost impossible" for the Briton to dethrone Max Verstappen.

Speaking to his YouTube channel, Windsor said:

"In order for them to be teammates, it would mean Lewis joining Red Bull. In that situation, I think it would be Max. Because Max has this symbiotic relationship with Adrian and to some extent with Christian but more importantly, with Adrian."

"And Max knows Adrian's brain pretty well. Lewis will be chiming into that and he'll be getting into his racing car and it will feel great."

He continued:

"In terms of overall in a season, I think it would be almost impossible to beat the Max Verstappen-Adrian Newey partnership even if you're Lewis Hamilton."

With Charles Leclerc starting on the Dutchman's rear wing on Sunday, it will be interesting to watch the two drivers joust it out for the win.