Max Verstappen Credits Race Engineer for Strategic Call That… Read more
Max Verstappen praised his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, for a key strategic decision that helped him secure pole position during qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver executed a different approach compared to his rivals, particularly after Lando Norris’s crash early in Q3 disrupted the session.
The red flag brought out by Norris halted Verstappen’s first flying lap before it even began. However, this actually worked to Verstappen’s advantage. Since he had not started his timed lap, his soft tyres were still usable for a second attempt. While most of the field opted to complete just one flying lap on a fresh set of soft tyres after the session resumed, Verstappen’s team chose a more complex plan.
Lambiase suggested Verstappen fuel the car for two runs instead of one, meaning he could first complete a flying lap using the initial set of soft tyres, then return to the pits and switch to a fresh set for a second attempt. This strategy required Verstappen to carry extra fuel – enough for three laps in total – and perform a race-style pit stop during the session. The trade-off was a slightly heavier car for the first run, which could affect performance.
Despite that, Verstappen managed to put in a strong first lap, just 0.001 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Piastri then reclaimed provisional pole, but Verstappen narrowly edged him out again on his final flying lap, clinching pole by just 0.010 seconds.
Reflecting on the strategy, Verstappen acknowledged the uncertainties following the red flag and admitted he wasn’t sure what the best course of action would be. However, he trusted Lambiase’s call, which ultimately proved to be the right one.
“You just keep on trying to fine-tune before qualifying to find that perfect balance, and we tried a lot of setup directions again this weekend,” Verstappen said to the media. “I think we chose the right one going into qualifying, then it’s just fine-tuning, and we are learning.”
He added that Red Bull is still working to understand the car better, as performance has been inconsistent so far in the season. The Saudi qualifying result, therefore, was a positive sign.
“GP said: ‘Let’s fuel it for two laps.’ So you do the first lap on the used tyre, then pit and go onto the new. It was definitely the right thing to do for me in terms of feeling with the car and building up to the limit,” Verstappen concluded.
