Red Bull's Max Verstappen pretty much made the most of his qualifying session for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix, finishing P5.

The 19-year-old held his own against team mate Daniel Ricciardo, progressing through the qualifying  segments with ease, and edging out the Aussie by a little over a tenth of a second.

"Fifth was the best," Verstappen admitted.

"We knew this circuit was not our favourite, and in qualifying Mercedes and Ferrari can turn up their engines abit more which we can't.

"Fifth was always the target. I was not completely happy with the car because we changed a few bits from the last practice to qualifying and that didn't really work.

"But I just tried to make the best of it and fifth is the best at the moment."

Looking to Sunday, Verstappen isn't forecasting any issues with his RB13's race pace, but the Dutchman will be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that may come his way behind the wheel of a car which continues to improve.

"I think our race pace should be alright. If we can keep fifth that's the first target and then we'll see what happens in front of us," he added.

"We have to keep working hard to improve the car. We have to make sure that at one point we have the best car in the field, that's the target of the team.

"We are working hard on it and I think the upgrades we got this weekend worked really well, but in qualifying it doesn't really show.

"On this track with the long straights where you need a lot of power , you can't really do much."

 

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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