French GP: Max Verstappen warns tyre management will be key to race win

Max Verstappen will start the French Grand Prix from P2 this afternoon and says he feels he has a good car for the race, even if qualifying didn’t quite go to plan.

The Red Bull driver topped FP3 earlier on on Saturday to boost hopes that he might take pole during the qualifying session, but it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who ended up on P1 for today’s race after he and Carlos Sainz worked well together, with the Spaniard providing a tow for his team-mate.

Verstappen, then, will start alongside his nearest rival in the championship and will hope that the strong race pace the Red Bull has will aid his quest to return to the top step, having not won a race since the Canadian Grand Prix.

Speaking after the session, the Dutchman said:

“Overall we were lacking a bit in qualifying with grip and general pace. We pushed hard but there were a few areas on the track that I couldn’t improve on, especially in my final lap.

“We have a good race car but looking after the tyres is key, it’s much warmer [for the race] and that will have an impact so we’ll have to see what we can do strategy-wise.

“For the Ferraris to be on pole again shows that they have a great car and I expect them to be very quick again. It’s good to have Checo alongside though and we are quick on the straights so let’s see what we can do.”

With Carlos Sainz down towards the back of the field because of engine-related grid penalties, Red Bull should have the upper hand at least at the start of the race with both their drivers in behind Leclerc, and they’ll hope they can nail strategy to seal a victory.