Max Verstappen has heralded his pole position at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Red Bull’s maiden with its own in house power unit in collaboration with Ford.
Red Bull and Verstappen proved to be the surprise package of the weekend in Malaysia, demonstrating and converting speed shown in free practice into pole position on Saturday in qualifying.
The RB22 looked a car transformed on the sweeping corners of the Sepang International Circuit, Verstappen attacking the track with poise and confidence.
His pole position heralded a milestone for the team, taking Red Bull’s first pole position as a power unit manufacturer, while Ford took their best result at the circuit since 1999 with Rubens Barrichello for Stewart.
Speaking in Parc Ferme, Verstappen recognised the achievement, believing Red Bull’s progress is beginning to bear fruit.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get pole, sometimes a bit closer than others, but to finally get it from where we started this season is pretty incredible.
“Looking at the season, how it started for us, and the progression that we have made at some tracks, we were kind of close, but now I think this weekend it was very positive for us.
“From FP1, we started quite well, and from then onwards, we’ve just been trying to improve the car further, and it’s incredible. Honestly, I’m very happy to yeah to be on pole here.”
Max Verstappen makes bullish victory aims
Verstappen bullishly claimed victory was on the cards for Sunday race, before detailing some of the unique challenges he and the other drivers will face in the searing Malaysian heat.
“I’m happy with today, and for sure, I’m going to try to win tomorrow. When you start first, that’s the target.
“It’s very hot, for ourselves, the cars, the brakes, the tyres, so the race is definitely going to be a tough one. You have to manage a lot.
“It’s impossible to know at the moment who can do that the best, but at the same time, there is a start where a lot of things can happen, so we just need to be aware, ready, and then we’ll see how competitive we are in in the race.
“But so far this weekend, I’ve felt good, confident, and I hope we can show that again tomorrow.”
Verstappen’s pole position will end shockwaves through the pitlane, with Mercedes’ much vaunted upgrade for this weekend not visibly delivering when it counts.
If the four-time world champion has the measure of the Silver Arrows again on Sunday, Mercedes will need to investigate its impact of its latest upgrade package on its performance.
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