Max Verstappen says it would be a “shame” if he is unable to finish on the podium in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, despite grid penalties seeing him start from 15th.
In the first race back after the summer break, Verstappen has looked in ominous form at Spa-Francorchamps, as he seeks to extend his 80-point lead in the drivers’ championship.
Red Bull opted to change Verstappen’s engine for this weekend, thus handing him an automatic drop to the back of the grid, but this didn’t give him the incentive to take a more relaxed approach towards qualifying.
The reigning world champion ended Q3 seven tenths of a second clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, and after his dominant Spa lap, Verstappen has high expectations for his race chances.
“We need to move forward,” Verstappen said. “I think especially with a car like this, it will be a shame not to be on the podium.”
Verstappen acknowledged Red Bull had looked strong throughout the weekend, and asserted his one and only timed lap in Q3 as among his best of the season.
“It was an amazing qualifying, but I think already the whole weekend, we’ve been on it, he said.
“The car has been working really well and just basically trying to fine tune it. And it all came together in qualifying.
“Of course, you have to be a bit careful with the amount of tyres I was using, also looking for tomorrow, starting in the back, but yeah, very happy with my lap and it’s great to be here.
“It’s an amazing track, amazing fans around. I hope they had a good day.”
He added: “Sometimes it’s a bit easier to nail a lap than other tracks, where if you have a tiny lock up, big lap time losses. I would say it’s definitely one of the best [qualifying laps of my season].”
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