Max on pole for the Zandvoort Masters
Published on 06 July 2014 by Stefan Meens
A rain swept morning qualifying session appeared to prevent Max Verstappen from the top spot. However, the 16-year-old Dutchman retaliated with a stunning performance in the afternoon qualifying session to claim pole position for the prestigious Zandvoort Masters of Formula 3.
Max’ pole lap, 1:32.628, was over six tenths of second faster than runner-up Sam McLeod, underlining the quality of the lap. Team Motopark team mate Nabil Jeffri and Dutchman Steijn Schothorst lock out the second row.
Max: “I’m very happy after Q2 to take pole for the Zandvoort Masters. Especially because I believe the start is the most crucial part ahead of this race. If you have a good get away, half the win is in the bag.”
Contrasting to the first qualifying session, the second session was absolved under a blue and bright sky as opposed to dark clouds and rain. This means the drivers take to the track on a set of new Kumho Ecsta slicks.
“My first run was good but not perfect”, explains Max, who split the 20 minute session into two parts. “I basically did a couple of flying laps, returned to the pit to tweak the set-up and put on fresh slicks. After that, I went out again for a really good run. Compared to my first run, I was really able to nail the fast corners. Also, I felt very comfortable under braking and I think that’s where I’ve won the most lap time.”
Over the weekend, Max and the team steadily progressed. “On Friday we realised we still had some work to do because when you collaborate with a different team it takes time to adjust as they have to get used to my driving style”, reveals Max.
“The car has improved so much over the last few days and feels much better to drive. Here at Zandvoort a small improvement in every corner gains you three or four tenths so we obviously made a big leap.”
Despite only eleven contestants entering the 24th Zandvoort Masters of Formula 3, Max does not underestimate the challenge ahead of him. “There are good drivers in the field and that’s the main thing. In the European F3-championship, I might be up against thirty drivers, but not all of them are as fast. More drivers at the Zandvoort Masters would have been nice but regardless, it’s good for me to drive an extra race and to learn more and more. Obviously it is all the more special to drive in front of my home crowd.”
Even though there is a huge Dutch interest for Max, amplified by his outstanding performance in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Verstappen junior remains calm. “I don’t really feel any pressure. People might think it’s going to be a breeze for me to win it but I’m going to give it my all. Because the races you think are the easiest, turn out to be the hardest. And, as we could see on Saturday, the differences in the morning were marginal so we’ll continue to work hard”, concludes Max as he prepares ahead of the 25 lap Zandvoort Masters race.
Via Twitter and Facebook we will keep you updated throughout the weekend followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action.
The full schedule for the Zandvoort Masters can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official live timing and the live stream.
Zandvoort Masters of Formula 3 – Zandvoort – Day 2, Saturday July 5::
Results qualifying 1
Results qualifying 2
