Häkkinen Record, 100esima Pole: Pacchetto Verstappen definito “storico” da Rosberg

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Record after record for Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 qualifying in China. With a lead of 0.322 seconds, the Dutchman secured his sixth consecutive pole position across seasons, which also marked the 100th pole position for the Red Bull team.

This season, he has achieved five out of five possible pole positions, a feat last achieved by Mika Häkkinen in 1999, when the McLaren driver set the fastest time in qualifying from Australia to Spain and went on to finish the season as the champion.

Sky expert Nico Rosberg describes the combination of Verstappen and Red Bull as “historic” and refers to the impressive speed of the 26-year-old in the sprint race in the morning, where Verstappen won with a lead of over 13 seconds.

Speaking about the records, Verstappen said: “Before I got into the car, Christian [Horner] told me that it could be the 100th pole position for the team if I secure pole today. So I said: ‘Ok, that’s nice, I will try’. It’s an incredible achievement for the whole team and Seb [Vettel] contributed a lot back then.”

“For me, it’s been a really good start to the year. I feel very confident in qualifying, even compared to last year. It’s just a shame we retired in Melbourne, because we could have had a strong lead overall – still a great start.”

Unstable conditions posed challenges for drivers, with Verstappen initially feeling confused as his first lap in the third qualifying segment was slower than his best time in Q2. However, he believes that the wind was more favorable in the final lap, which is sensitive to the car’s balance. The rapidly evolving track conditions also made it difficult to predict entry speeds into corners.

As for the race on Sunday, Verstappen is the clear favorite after dominating the sprint race on used tires and consistently being eight tenths per lap faster than the next competitor, his teammate Sergio Perez.

Red Bull Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko believes they will be strong in the race and predicts Perez as the main challenger. However, Verstappen remains cautious, acknowledging that there is room for improvement in the car’s balance.

Overall, with adjustments made based on their analysis from the sprint race, Verstappen and his team are preparing for a competitive race. He is confident that if the car performs half as well as in the sprint, they will be in a good position.