Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar were pleasantly surprised by Red Bull's performance in the Barcelona-Catalunya qualifying session. Both drivers will take off from the third row, having discovered unexpected pace in the RB22.
Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar found themselves unexpectedly pleased with Red Bull's qualifying performance at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Both drivers will start from the third row, having extracted more pace from the RB22 than they anticipated.
Verstappen, finishing fifth, was within four-tenths of polesitter George Russell. "Qualifying went a little better than expected," he noted. "Looking back, P5 seems decent, but we genuinely had a shot at P3. Unfortunately, in my final sector, I started sliding too much and couldn't maintain the ideal line."
He added that a red flag disrupted his rhythm. "Only Oscar [Piastri] and I got a lap in before the red flag, then we sat for ten minutes. It’s not ideal for Q3. You want to do a lap, refuel, change tires, and go again. Waiting isn't great, but overall, it was better than we thought. I came into qualifying expecting to be miles off, maybe P7 or P8, so this is promising."
Hadjar finished just behind Verstappen in sixth, narrowly missing out on Kimi Antonelli's P3 by less than a tenth. Reflecting on the session, Hadjar said, "After a tough Friday and Saturday morning, qualifying was a surprise. We found pace, especially in Q3. I’m not sure how we ended up just three-tenths off pole, given we've been a second off all weekend. It's disappointing to miss out on P3, but it's encouraging."
Looking ahead to Sunday's 66-lap race, Hadjar expects strategy to play a crucial role. "With high temperatures and multiple pit stops, it should be fun," he predicted. "A strong Turn 1 is crucial, and sharp pit stops will be key."
The unexpected pace from Red Bull in qualifying has certainly set up an intriguing race day, with Verstappen and Hadjar poised to challenge from the third row.