Max Verstappen was enthused with Red Bull’s upgraded car “working quite well” as he took pole position for the Sprint race at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
Verstappen aced the last sector at the Circuit of the Americas to go 0.012 seconds quicker than George Russell’s Mercedes on his single attempt in the last segment.
The Dutchman’s return to the top arrived at a critical time as he bids to protect his championship lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris, who will start three places behind.
Verstappen’s heading the timesheets in qualifying for the first time since Belgium in July comes as Red Bull has introduced updates to cure the RB20’s handling woes.
Despite having one practice session to dial in the revised parts, Verstappen was satisfied with the initial progress that Red Bull has made with its latest developments.
“Yeah, we had, I think, a good day,” Verstappen expressed.
“Of course, Sprint Qualifying is always very difficult. You do Medium, Medium, and then a Soft.
“You never really know how much you can push, but I’m happy with today.
“I think the whole day the car was working quite well. Of course, yeah, very happy to be first. It’s been a while, so yeah, very pleased with today.”
Verstappen recalls ‘hectic’ SQ3 session
Verstappen has conceded it was challenging to nail his sole lap in SQ3 with the contrast in grip that exists with parts of the track having been resurfaced this season.
“It’s always very hectic,” he said. “This track is amazing to drive and now new tarmac [and] a little bit older tarmac, the very old tarmac, the bumpy stuff it’s not easy.
“I mean at the end it’s the same for everyone. To deal with it over one lap is not always the easiest, but it’s fun.”
Verstappen, who has a 52-point lead over Norris, is eager to land maximum points tomorrow, but has acknowledged that his main attention is on Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“We’ll do the best we can tomorrow in the Sprint. But we also know the most points are available on Sunday. So that’s where we really want to do well.”
READ MORE: Max Verstappen snatches F1 Sprint pole in Austin from George Russell
