Max Verstappen has declared that there are “many possibilities” in Formula 1′s Canadian Grand Prix, after the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver qualified in third place.
Verstappen had topped every free practice session heading into Saturday’s qualifying hour, and was looking for a clean session to ease pressure over mistakes made in previous races.
The Dutchman’s time of a 1m:10.937s was good enough for third, just over a tenth shy of polesitter Sebastian Vettel, and the 20-year-old is confident of a strong race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“The car has been performing very well and we made the most of it,” he explained. “We have no issues, the pace was decent and we are not too far behind.
“In Q3, we were just lacking a little top speed, but we were close and I’m happy. The little engine upgrade probably pushed us a bit closer which is always nice.
“We can definitely overtake on this track so that will give us many possibilities.”
As Verstappen and his team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, who was sixth fastest, used the hypersoft Pirelli tyre to set their fastest time in the second segment of qualifying, both will start the race on that compound.
The other leading cars, from the Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport and Scuderia Ferrari teams will all start on the more durable ultrasoft rubber, but Verstappen feels the differentiation between the front runners is a good thing.
“[For] the whole weekend, I [have] felt very comfortable on the hypersofts, which makes me [feel] more comfortable to attack the corners,” he explained. “This track feels a little like a go-kart track and hitting all the kerbs is a good thing.
“We are starting on a different tyre which will make things interesting in the race, but we will see. Many things can happen and if the safety car comes out that can change everything.”