Verstappen: Abu Dhabi pole ‘very weird’ after RB19 struggles

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Max Verstappen admitted that his pole position for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP felt “very weird” given the struggles he endured with his Red Bull car in free practice.

Verstappen claimed his 12th pole of the season by a margin of 0.139s over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the Dutchman locking in his result on his first flyer in Q3.

But up until Saturday evening’s shootout, the three-time world champion was critical of his car’s handling, complaining earlier in the day in FP3 of the RB19’s bottoming.

Verstappen’s grievances were such after the final practice session that Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko bet €500 with team boss Christian Horner that the Dutchman would not secure a spot on the front row of the grid.

Read also: Verstappen secures final pole of the season in Abu Dhabi

"Very weird. I mean, the whole weekend so far has been a bit of a struggle,” commented the 53-time Grand Prix winner.

"We definitely improved the car for qualifying. From lap one, it all seemed a bit more together. We could definitely push more.

"Around here already with the tyres, if you do little slides and whatever, it can cost you a lot of lap time. That was what was happening for us in practice.

"But then in qualifying, it all just was a bit more connected…

"I have no clue how good we're going to be in the race. Normally we are always quite decent. It's been a very special season. We've been enjoying it a lot."

Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, didn’t manage to extricate himself from the lower tier of the top-ten in Q3, the Mexican clocking in P9 at the end of the session.

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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.