Horner after qualifying in Zandvoort: 'That last lap was classic Max'

Published on 26 August 2023 by Julien Lemmen

Max Verstappen grabbed pole position in qualifying for his home race in Zandvoort with an impressive lap that was over half a second faster than Lando Norris in P2. It marked the third pole in a row for Max and for the Oracle Red Bull Racing team at Circuit Zandvoort.

Team boss Christian Horner is therefore delighted with the performance of the two-time world champion: “Today was a continually moving target with the constantly changing conditions and there were moments where we thought it could get away from us. The biggest wobble we had with Max was when he went straight on in Q1 on his first lap. The next he got blocked and we had an eye on the weather hoping we weren’t going to miss out, we just needed to get one lap on the board and thankfully the next lap he managed to, he just struggled to get the temperature into the tyres initially. In taxing conditions like this, there was a lot of debate around when to run, which tyres etc, and with the added pressure of a home race for Max, it’s hard not to feel the expectation of the crowd, the noise and the hype, but the way Max manages that is truly remarkable. Once again the whole team did a fantastic job in reading the conditions, preparing the car and getting it right for the lap when it mattered, and that last lap was classic Max, truly lightning.”

Contest Dutch GP: win a 1:4 scale model Max Verstappen Dutch GP 2023 helmet!