“Don’t Ever, Ever Do That Again” – Verstappen Blasts Red Bull F1 Despite Pole at Austrian GP

Max Verstappen continued his dominance at the Red Bull Ring as he stormed to his third consecutive pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman outclassed his title rival Lewis Hamilton, who could only qualify in P4 for tomorrow’s race.

However, Verstappen expressed a tinge of disappointment after the session. Despite setting the fastest time of the session, he was unhappy about going out first in his second run in Q3.

Max Verstappen unhappy with Q3 performance despite pole position

The Dutchman put on a masterclass throughout the weekend and followed it up with his fourth pole position of this season. However, his biggest challenge this time wasn’t Mercedes – it was McLaren’s Lando Norris.

While Verstappen set the pace with his first lap in Q3, Norris trailed him by over two-tenths of a second. However, Red Bull sent the Dutchman out for his second run leading the pack. This meant Verstappen was reducing air resistance for the drivers behind him, which endangered his position.

The impact of Red Bull’s decision showed in his lap, with the 23-year-old only setting the fastest final sector to keep pole. In fact, Norris improved on his lap time by getting a tow from Verstappen, finishing just 0.048s off in P2.

Verstappen made his feelings clear on the radio after the race. He said, “Don’t ever, ever do that again, to go us first. That was P1, but yeah. We’ll talk about it later.”

He also admitted Q3 didn’t go as well as he hoped in the track side interview. “I am, of course, happy to be first, but not the way we got it,” said the 23-year-old.

Amidst all this, the Dutchman will start tomorrow’s race from the front of the grid. In addition, Norris and Sergio Perez stand between him and Hamilton at the starting line tomorrow. Could this be the recipe for Verstappen to extend his lead in the championship?