After what seems like ages, F1 finally had another wet qualifying session. The rain really separates the good drivers from the best and today’s qualifying was proof of the same.
Lewis Hamilton clinched yet another pole position in treacherous conditions and the only man who could’ve stopped him, suffered a spin in the final corner.
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Max Verstappen opened up on his final Q3 run and how the pitting Sebastian Vettel compromised his lap.
Did Sebastian Vettel hamper Max Verstappen?
For those unaware, Verstappen was on a hot lap in the dying stages of Q3 when he spun his Red Bull in the final corner. It appeared like the Dutchman was distracted by Sebastian Vettel, who was heading into the pits.
The pitlane entry can be a nuisance even during regular sessions and having a full wet track didn’t help.
As Verstappen approached the final turn, he lost control of the RB16 and nearly crashed into the pit wall. Luckily, Max’s super driving skills in the wet came in handy and the Dutchman produced a stunning save.
Despite the spin, Verstappen wouldn’t have taken pole at the Red Bull Ring. Hamilton produced a monster lap, which saw the Brit pip Max by a whopping 1.2s. A gap that was bigger than the margin between p2 and p10.
Speaking at the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen reflected on his final run in Q3.
“It’s incredible, you can’t see a thing when you are within 6 seconds of the car ahead of you. Towards the end it started to rain more and immediately sector two was becoming more tricky. Q3 was very difficult for me at least, a lot of standing water and yeah I lost quite a lot of grip”
When asked about his final lap during Q3, Max said:
“I understeered because of it and then I went a bit wide, like I came on to the curb on the exit and then I lost it. Anyway, it was not good enough of a lap to beat Lewis.”
Hopefully, Red Bull can capitalize on their front row start and close the gap to the Silver Arrows in tomorrow’s race. The Milton-Keynes outfit has one more chance to redeem itself around its home track.
