"Not very straightforward qualifying": Red Bull's Max Verstappen

STYRIA: Red Bull F1 team driver Max Verstappen finished in pole position in the qualifying race on Friday, but the overall performance was not up to the mark.

After the qualifying race, Verstappen said that the qualifying was not very straightforward.

Verstappen lost lap times in Q1 and Q2 after he was deemed to have exceeded track limits, but bounced back on both occasions to safely make it through to the pole shootout and charge his way to the front of the grid during Q3.

According to the official website of Formula 1, Max Verstappen said, "I think it was not a very straightforward qualifying, just because of all the track limit problems for everyone, including myself. But I think, at the end of the day, we put the lap in when it mattered."

He added, "Q3 around here is always tricky, because you know that you can gain a bit of lap time by really pushing the limit on the white line everywhere, but then of course the risk of a cancelled lap time is there as well. It was just about finding all these margins, and I think just did that. You always know that on such a short lap that it's going to be quite close with everyone, right? But we were ahead and that's of course the most important."

Looking ahead to Saturday's Sprint Shootout and Sprint race, Verstappen continued: "This pole for Sunday of course was an important one to get. Tomorrow, again, is a very different day, I don't know what the weather will do either, if it's going to rain or not.

"But it's still a very long weekend ahead of us where a lot of things can go right for you or wrong, so we'll just take today and be happy with that, and that's, of course, great for Sunday, but again tomorrow is a very different day."

Max Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez didn't have a good time in qualifying as he failed to reach the final stages of the qualifying.

Perez failed to reach Q3 for the fourth successive weekend after losing all three of his Q2 laps to track limits, meaning the Mexican - who will line up 15th - faces yet another damage limitation exercise on race day.

As per the official website of Formula 1, Sergio Perez said, "We were a bit confused, but then once I got the feedback that it was on the way into [Turn] 10, it was all clear and I was on a good lap, but then all of a sudden on the final lap I found, I think, [Alex] Albon.

" While concluding he said, "I just went straight, I could not stop. I think I lost a tenth or a bit more than that, just by going straight, but the stewards wouldn't consider that I was blocked. There are so many things I can control, and unfortunately, this one you're closing a good lap and then all of a sudden you are blocked and you have a penalty."