The Qualifying session for the Saudi Arabian GP had very little surprise on offer. Fernando Alonso was the standout performer of the day, securing a P4 qualification. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was once again at his dominant best, securing the fastest time in Q1, Q2, and Q3. While it was hardly a surprise, F1 expert Peter Windsor was amongst the few people taken aback by the performance of the Dutchman.
Speaking in the latest video on his official YouTube channel, a surprised Windsor had to go back on his words from before. Following the practice sessions, Windsor predicted Verstappen’s lead would be smaller in Jeddah than in Bahrain. However, the 71-year-old was surprised to see the lead grow further.
“I was probably a bit optimistic and ambitious after Thursday when I said that it would be a bit more exciting for pole position at this circuit than is normally the case.”, said Windsor.
Verstappen‘s prowess was matched equally by his team when they set up the RB20 for Jeddah. They made sure that the balance of the car was perfect. It gave Verstappen the confidence to go around a circuit that was full of very fast corners. The car even maintained a great top speed, further allowing Verstappen to blitz past the rest of the grid.
He was able to get the car to do what he wanted and was extremely fast throughout the session. Purple Sectors came easily for the 3X world champion, as he secured his 34th career pole position.
Max Verstappen is a happy man after qualifying P1 in Jeddah
Qualifying over three-tenths of a second faster than P2, Verstappen was very happy with the RB20. Claiming to have enjoyed the qualification day, Verstappen said the car was “nice to drive,” and overall, it was a good improvement from the practice session.
The improvements allowed the Dutchman to attack the corners at high speed and improve Red Bull’s one-lap performance. Per Verstappen, confidence is extremely important to push the car to the limit in Jeddah. Given the setup of the RB20, the #1 driver had no shortage of confidence, and it resulted in the fastest lap around Jeddah in history.
Red Bull, as a whole, holds a distinct advantage over the rest of the field. Having seemingly improved their one-lap pace, the Austrian team already has the best race pace on the grid. Thus, Verstappen expects to easily be able to retain P1 and win the Saudi Arabian GP.
As a team, the Dutchman claimed they were very happy with their car and the strides they made on Qualifying Day. He concluded his statement by saying it had been a great job from the entire team.
