P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen only just managed to get his car into the top three during qualifying in Spain as he aims for another win around the Barcelona venue.
“Max Verstappen expressed his optimism about competing with the McLaren drivers at the Spanish Grand Prix, following his qualification behind the duo on the front row.
Verstappen’s last attempt in Q3 propelled him to third place, tying with George Russell’s lap time.
Despite sharing the same time, Verstappen clinched the third spot ahead of Russell as he set his lap before the Mercedes driver.
While Verstappen trailed three-tenths behind pole-sitter Piastri, he remains hopeful of contending for the top spot in the race on Sunday.
Verstappen mentioned, “We were lacking all weekend compared to them, but I think we executed qualifying well. Third position is more or less where we should be, even though I think it’s quite close behind as well. It’s fun around here, squeezing everything out of the car, the grip is always quite good, even with the hot temperatures. Let’s see tomorrow what we can do from there.”
During Friday’s practice sessions, Verstappen had a strong showing and appeared to be the fastest in the field during high-fuel race simulations.
Reflecting on the preparation for the race, Verstappen shared, “We had quite a decent Friday. We just made some final changes to the car. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to really challenge for the pole. I will try my best, but they [McLaren] will be tough to beat.””
