He was the big favorite and he made it happen during an exciting and incident-rich qualifying: Max Verstappen took pole position for the ‘Dutch GP’, his third pole position in a row in Zandvoort.
Qualifying was characterized by changeable and challenging conditions. At the start of qualifying the track was wet and we had to go on intermediates, but the ultimate battle for pole took place on slicks.
“It was a tough qualifying. We started on intermediates, but the track was also slippery, especially on the new tarmac. So you could easily make a mistake,” Verstappen looks back on qualifying according to his official website. “It was quite difficult to get the temperature in the intermediates. It was about keeping your laps and staying out of trouble. We succeeded in that.”
“At the end we were able to switch to slicks and then there was only one dry line. So we had to take some risks, because it wasn’t dry everywhere yet, but the last lap was a lot of fun. We’ve had more qualifying lately where the track was wet and then dried up. It certainly provides entertainment.”
In Q3, Max Verstappen was one of the few drivers to take to the track on intermediates. Verstappen admitted afterwards that this was a wrong choice.
“We have already been to other circuits where it rained. This was the first time we drove here in these conditions. We underestimated how quickly the track dried up with the wind and sun, so we soon found out that we had gone out on the wrong tyres. We will take this experience with us in the future. In the end it didn’t matter and we still did well.”
“It’s always nice to take pole for your home race. All the fans here expect me to take pole, but with a qualifying like this it’s certainly not easy. There is always pressure to perform, but when it all works out, it’s great.”