Max Verstappen Blames the ‘Wind’ for Contributing to His Qualifying Woes Against a Faster McLaren

Lando Norris got the better of Max Verstappen in Zandvoort on Saturday to grab the pole position. The session, however, was tricky owing to the wind blowing from the sea, which is quite close to the track. Verstappen complained about the same and insisted that this affected his driving.

Verstappen assessed his qualifying by talking about how the RB20 performed. “Of course, too slow compared to in the McLaren. But yeah, we try to optimize the balance,” the hometown hero said, after finishing P2.  

Weather is going to play a big factor here, potentially all weekend. And not just rain. It’s really windy…#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/78mHDgaGXp

— Christian Hewgill (@ChrisHewgill) August 23, 2024

Then, Verstappen pointed out the wind factor. “Qualifying was a bit difficult, possibly also because of the wind. It was very windy and it just seemed like my car was very sensitive to it.”

The Red Bull driver wasn’t the only one to complain about the conditions on Saturday. Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, and Lance Stroll – all complained of the wind in turns nine and ten, which ruined some of their laps. Alonso described it as a game of luck, where the absence of gusts, significantly improved lap-times.

Despite the difficulties he faced with wind, and having a slow car, Verstappen managed to secure P2 on the grid. The race, however, will likely be much more difficult for him to deal with.

Verstappen wary of McLaren’s blistering race pace

In the post-qualifying interview, Verstappen did not seem too stressed about starting from P2. He knew that a podium finish wouldn’t be a bad result, given the 78-point gap he had to second-placed Norris in the championship.

Verstappen would ideally like to continue his winning streak in Zandvoort but is wary of McLaren’s pace. “You never know how a race can turn out, but I think on pure pace it will be quite difficult,” the 26-year-old said. 

Verstappen will look to overtake Norris at turn one of the first lap to get a good start. But even then, long-run data from practice indicates that the McLaren driver will be faster, and have a better chance of winning the race.