Verstappen 3rd, but he’s under no illusions about Sprint: “If Hamilton and Antonelli are fast, their teammates will be too”

Max third, but without too much optimism. Among the surprises of the Sprint qualifying at Silverstone there is also Max Verstappen. The Dutchman had struggled in FP1, but in SQ3 he managed not only to put together a great lap, but also to keep Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and George Russell’s Mercedes behind him albeit only by a handful of thousandths; in the Sprint Verstappen will start from third position. However, thinking about tomorrow’s short race, Verstappen did not appear overly confident. Looking over our shoulders “For us probably the SQ3 result was very close: I could have equally likely finished in P3, P6 or P7, but this time we were on the right side. We were a little bit closer (to the leaders), but we are still not where we want to be. In the corners, maybe a little bit, but also in terms of tire management, so there are some things to understand to try to improve the lap time. We will try to do that, obviously, after the Sprint.” “They (Hamilton and Antonelli) seem a little bit faster – added the four-time Dutch world champion – and if they seem fast, usually their teammates should also be fast in the race pace, when the situation has calmed down a bit. So, as far as I’m concerned, I think it will be more of a battle with the drivers behind me”, concluded Verstappen.

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-07-03 17:30:00