Verstappen explains Red Bull gamble after Q2 scare in Austrian GP qualifying

Max Verstappen has explained Red Bull’s bold decision to skip a final run at the end of Q2 in Austrian Grand Prix qualifying, a high-risk gamble that saw him narrowly avoid elimination.

The four-time world champion made it into Q3 by just 0.040 seconds, after Pierre Gasly almost pushed him into the drop zone at the very end of Q2. It was an eventful qualifying session for the Dutchman who then crashed during Q3 and will line up fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

That crash would not have even happened if Gasly, his Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto or any of the two Haas or Audi cars had put in a lap quicker than Verstappen during Q2. Speaking to GPblog among other media outlets after qualifying, Verstappen explained that Red Bull decided to take the risk so they could save an extra set of soft tyres for the final part of qualifying, after having one less set available to them than their rivals.

Verstappen said: “I knew it was going to be tight, because I knew what the lap time going to be, or I guess for the cut off. But at the same time it’s the risk that I was willing to take with the team because I only had three sets and I wanted two new (sets) in Q3, to stay in the loop with the other drivers.”

Will Verstappen start in pitlane after qualifying crash?

Verstappen fans would have feared that the Dutchman might have to start in the pitlane after his heavy crash during the final moments of qualifying. Damage to the RB22 was not immediately known after the session but specific attention was paid to the car’s floor after he ran through the gravel.

GPblog has learned that Verstappen’s car is largely in good shape and understand Verstappen does not have to fear a grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Verstappen will start behind both Mercedes and Ferrari cars who occupied the top four spots. George Russell took pole position, but the Brit set his time after the Dutchman’s crash. This left some uncertainty as to whether he could keep his time, but the FIA ultimately decided the time was valid.

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