F1 | Dutch GP | Verstappen eyes win at his first home race, denying the DRS issue: “We want to complete what we started today”
Max Verstappen conquered a suffered pole position in a tight fight with Hamilton, in front of his home crowd. The Dutchman is happy but he wants more.
Max Verstappen pipped Hamilton to pole in his first home race, grabbing the pole position in a strict battle against the rival ahead of only 0.038 seconds. The crowd exploded, greeting their hero after the chequered flag, but for the Red Bull driver, this is not just enough.
The Dutchman does not feel content of becoming the pole man, as he eyes the possible win on Sunday. In this way, he could “complete” what he started in the Qualifying session and can be able to give his fans an astounding home-win. Such a result would be impressive, as he could win at the first Dutch Grand Prix here in Zandvoort after a long time plus a year, as the GP should have been hosted for the first time last season but the Coronavirus pandemic delayed the maiden race to now.
The first Dutch driver to take Pole at the #DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 pic.twitter.com/qtW5KmxqpK
— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) September 4, 2021
Could such a result be handy for him?
“The car today was fantastic to drive, it was so cool!”– the Dutchman commented on the top of his pole.
Immediately, he thanked his crowd, many fans who became all united in an unique orange wave and cheered up for him so much, exploding in an enthusiastic party as Verstappen grabs the pole position against Hamilton.
“With a crowd like this, it is even better – he explains, looking at all them. At this point, he focuses on the race, which is expected to be as tight as the qualifying, especially considering a difficult track like Zandvoort, which is challenging and on which it can be hard for Hamilton to overtake him.
“For tomorrow, I don’t expect an easy race. There will be a though one but I’m expecting to complete the work that I have started in the Qualifying”.
An important role has played by the DRS, and Verstappen declared to Motorsport.com that his own had stayed shut, so he states it wasn’t done deliberately.
“Is that so? I don't know. – he states – Out of Turn 3, it was quite bumpy, and I had a double shift. So, I was two tenths up on my lap and I lost like one-and-a-half tenths all the way to Turn 7. You also use more energy because you're a gear higher. So I derated as well. I don't know, I need to check."
Once again, the Dutchman expressed how beautiful Zandvoort has been for him so far.
“[The track] was already a lot of fun, I have to say, from FP1. But in qualifying, of course, when you go very low fuel, it was incredible.
"Especially sector two was really enjoyable to drive. – he continued - Even the banked corners. OK, the last one is flat. Still, it's a nice sensation. It's been really incredible. And then of course, driving at home with all these fans, they were going crazy every time I was crossing the line. So to have a pole position here is very satisfying."
POLE 🔥 Incredible! The car was on fire today, just flying 🚀 Really great job by @redbullracing and @HondaRacingF1 💪 And Orange Army, you are just amazing 🙌 🧡 #KeepPushing 🇳🇱 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/p6VghSkGgY
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 4, 2021
The race that is lining up in Zandvoort seems to be intriguing, considering all the red flags in Free Practices, the battle in the Quali, the technical aspects of the track and, least but not last, the importance of the points that will be gained tomorrow in the run of the title. However, Max Verstappen can do that, with a cool and firm head that has surprised even his boss Christian Horner.
