On his first outing with his new Red Bull Racing team, Max Verstappen qualified an excellent fourth for the Spanish Grand Prix, just behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Having made the switch from Scuderia Toro Rosso in between the Russian Grand Prix and Spain, Verstappen showed good pace throughout the three-stage qualifying, and at one point was on course for a front row start before seeing his time beaten by both Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Ricciardo.
But the teenage Dutchman felt he had exceeded expectations during the session by taking fourth spot, having expected this weekend to be a learning experience as he came to terms with his new surroundings at Red Bull and with the RB12.
“I enjoyed the qualifying, it was getting better with every lap,” said Verstappen. “For me the target today was to enjoy myself and I had a good feeling in the car.
“I focused on what I had to do and it worked. I’m happy, I didn’t expect to adapt to the car so quickly. I didn’t expect to be on the second row, so it’s a positive feeling.
“We are close to a podium and hopefully we can keep our positions in tomorrow’s race.”
