SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Max Verstappen praised Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar in helping him secure second place on the grid for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Verstappen qualified 0.317 seconds off championship leader Kimi Antonelli on pole position at Spa-Francorchamps and 0.191 seconds faster than George Russell’s Mercedes in third.
The Red Bull driver believes he gained 0.3 seconds -- the difference between second place on the grid and sixth -- from a choreographed slipstream that he received from teammate Hadjar in the final sector of the lap.
Hadjar entered the qualifying session with a grid penalty, which meant he would start at the back of the grid regardless of where he qualified and therefore it made no difference to his session to help Verstappen.
“Of course, Isack in Q3 helped me a lot with the tow in the final sector,” Verstappen said. “That’s why, of course, I’m sitting here [in second place.]
“Otherwise, it could have easily been P6 because the gaps behind were so close. So, yeah, thank you to him for that. I think, as a team, we did everything we could.”
Initially it looked like Hadjar may have got in Verstappen’s way through the high-speed Blanchimont corner, but the four-time world champion said the plan worked out perfectly.
“I was flat out,” he said. “I would have just pushed him [had I caught up!]
“It was close, but he did amazing. I initially thought, “Oh my God, it’s too close,” but then actually it worked out well to the last corner. It was close, but I trusted him.”
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Although Verstappen qualified second on the grid, he holds little hope in taking the fight for victory to Antonelli in Sunday’s grand prix.
“Honestly, I just want to do my own race,” he said. “I mean, the gap [to Antonelli], even in qualifying with a massive tow, is still over three tenths, so I don’t really expect to race them tomorrow.
“I think it’s more for me looking in the mirrors and fighting them, or trying to fight them, but mainly just trying to do my own race and see where we end up.”
