Max Verstappen was pretty satisfied after claiming the first pole of 2021 at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.
While Mercedes did bring the fight that most were expecting, this time, Red Bull had an answer as the Dutchman was the only driver to go sub 1m28s in qualifying.
And reflecting on what is his second consecutive pole after Abu Dhabi last year, Verstappen was pleased to carry on the form.
“We were already very strong here during the test days, but that of course gives no guarantees,” he told David Coulthard in Parc Ferme.
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“This weekend the car has been working very well and enjoyable to drive.
“With the changing wind it is not easy to set up the car here, but it went perfectly in every part of qualifying. I am very happy with this pole position.”
The battle with Lewis Hamilton was nip and tuck until the last lap, when Verstappen pulled out an advantage of almost four-tenths on the world champion.
“My first lap in Q3 wasn’t amazing and I knew there was more in the car, of course never know how much,” Max said. “The track is quite hot so you have to be careful not to overheat the tyres, but where it mattered we could perform.”
Looking ahead to Sunday, the Red Bull driver was pretty confident the performance would remain to stay ahead.
“In general, the car is working well in the short and long runs so I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “We have a good car, now we have to make sure we have a good start and a clean opening lap at the race.”
When asked if this result could be the beginning of a potential championship challenge in 2021, Verstappen replied: “There are no guarantees, we have to push very hard, but it’s a good start.”
As for Red Bull boss Christian Horner, he was slightly more cautious.
“Mercedes, look at what they turned up,” he told Sky Sports. “Everyone was writing them off in the last couple of weeks and they are right there, and they are going to be right there in the race again tomorrow.
“They are going to be a massive challenge for us to beat them but we are starting in the best possible place,” he concluded.