Verstappen ‘renews subscription to P3’ at Spanish GP

Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen sips an energy drink after finishing third in the qualifying session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona on August 15, 2020 ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. (Photo by ALBERT GEA / POOL / AFP)

Max Verstappen said he plans to make life difficult for both Mercedes drivers in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix after “renewing his subscription” to P3 on the grid in Saturday’s qualifying.

The Dutchman said he will put the pressure on pole-sitter and championship leader Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas if he can make the most of a strong race pace.

“It seems like I have a subscription for P3,” said Verstappen who won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone last weekend.

“It’s our maximum at the moment. I think overall, the whole weekend, we have been P3.

“I’m pretty happy with that, but I just hope of course that we can be a bit closer in the race. Yesterday (Friday), in the long runs, they (Mercedes) didn’t seem too bad, but of course tomorrow is a different day again.”

He added: “I felt happy in the car and I just hope that I can apply a little bit of pressure. I know it’s very hard to overtake around here, but we’re going to do everything we can to be close to them and try to make it a bit difficult.”

His Red Bull team-mate Alex Albon qualified sixth and said he hoped that the high temperatures at the Circuit de Catalunya would enable him to make the most of superior tire management.

“I think here the degradation is a bit more aggressive — last weekend was more about blisters, but here is more about pure ‘deg’.

“So, we hope others run into blister issues and we don’t! Otherwise, if it’s a pure ‘deg’ race, I think the Mercs will be really strong.”