Red Bull driver and world champion Max Verstappen was uncharacteristically slow in the Saudi Arabia GP qualifying. The Dutch driver did not have an answer to the pace shown by his teammate and the Ferraris.

He finished qualifying and will start the race in P4 behind his teammate Perez and the Ferrari duo. Max was not satisfied with his performance and mentioned that he struggled with tire grip in the final part of qualifying. But he congratulated his teammate, who got his first pole position in Formula One after putting in a scintillating lap.

Max Verstappen delighted for teammate Sergio Perez after his pole position

The Red Bull driver was heavily critical of his runs throughout the qualifying session. But while congratulating his teammate, he mentioned he does not want to complain much, as the RB18 clearly has potential.

“I’m complaining and I didn’t have a good feeling, but the potential of the car is there and Checo did a great job today, so I’m very happy for him and hopefully we can make it difficult also for Ferrari tomorrow in the race,” said Max.

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His lack of pace mystified Verstappen in the Q3, as he could put a competitive lap. But he blamed his tire preparation for an uncompetitive qualifying performance.

 “It’s momentum but also tires prep, tire warm-up and, of course, I did something different. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing. I was quite confident that it would work. It was working in Q1 and Q2, but in Q3 it felt pretty awful,” said Max.

He would hope to make an amazing start on Sunday so that he can be a contender for the race win. Last year, Verstappen easily out dragged both Lewis and Ocon coming from the second row on the restart. And he would be looking to pull something similar this time as well. Although the RB18 might not seem as competitive as the 2 Ferraris, the reigning world champion will try his best to stand up to the brilliant due of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

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While putting up a good fight, he suffered late heartbreak at the Bahrain Grand Prix when he retired in the dying moments of the race. But it is important for him to target at least a podium on Sunday so that he can start to challenge the Ferraris in the championship. Can Max with the Saudi Arabian GP? If Max and Checo come side to side, will Checo be forced to yield? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.