Max Verstappen says he was 'eating his tyres alive' in Saturday's Sprint event, but the Red Bull charger also fears that Mercedes will have an edge in Sunday's race.
Verstappen predictably seized the lead from the Haas of shock poleman Kevin Magnussen after two laps in the Sprint race, but the Dutchman soon had to contend with an aggressive George Russell snapping at his heels.
Red Bull had opted to mount a set of mediums on Verstappen's RB18, believing the soft rubber would degrade in the closing stages of the 24-lap sprint.
But the opposite actually occurred and eventually left him defenseless against Russell's Mercedes after a superb battle between the two.
Verstappen's principal adversaries – Russell, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton – were all able to push their soft compound tyres to the checkered flag while the Red Bull driver lost ground.
But also weighing on the Dutchman's performance was a contact with Sainz that had slightly damaged his Red Bull's front wing.
Verstappen eventually concluded his race P4, which will equate to third on Sunday's grid thanks to Sainz's five-spot grid penalty.
"It was just degging, I had no grip from the tyres," Verstappen said. "Somehow the mediums didn't last at all, and we had no pace.
"I was just eating the tyres alive, so I don't know why it was like that.
"Then of course with the contact my front wing was a bit damaged but even with a complete front wing I would have finished fourth."
While Verstappen's medium tyre strategy didn't pay off, it has left the Dutchman with two extra sets of the soft compound tyre that could play into his hands in the race.
However, the two-time world champion admitted that Mercedes' pace in Saturday's event offered cause for concern.
"Even on the soft I think we wouldn't have had that pace that Mercedes had, so that's a little bit worrying for tomorrow," Verstappen said.
"We definitely will analyse everything but normally there's not so much you can do to make it better."
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