“Tough to Beat,” Max Verstappen Gets Reality Check as McLaren Lockout Front Row for Spanish GP

Max Verstappen bluntly accepted that winning the Spanish GP would not be easy after losing out pole position to Oscar Piastri on Saturday.

“Tough to Beat,” Max Verstappen Gets Reality Check as McLaren Lockout Front Row for Spanish GP

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (via XPB images)

Max Verstappen‘s challenging campaign in 2025 continues at the Spanish GP. The reigning world champion had high hopes for the Barcelona weekend after an underwhelming run in Monaco. The 27-year-old was confident that Red Bull will be stronger this time around. Unfortunately, Verstappen had to face reality as McLaren locked out the front row for Qualifying.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri and second-placed Lando Norris once again seemed to have an edge over Max Verstappen. The two McLaren drivers seemed to be in their own league during Qualifying on Saturday. Norris found himself on provisional pole with seven minutes to go with Piastri being less than a tenth slower.

In the final run of Q3, Max Verstappen simply lacked the pace to topple the McLaren cars. With Oscar Piastri taking pole position. The Dutch driver now faces the challenge of trying to fight his way to victory from third place.

After the session, Verstappen was asked he had maximized the car performance. The 27-year-old admitted that this might be the limit of the RB21. Moreover, the four-time world champion did not hesitate to accept that his team has been behind McLaren’s pace throughout the weekend.

I guess so. We were lacking all weekend of course compared to them.

Max Verstappen said post-Qualifying

The Dutch driver is not someone who gives up so easily. Max Verstappen made it clear that he will do his best to win on Sunday, albeit, acknowledging that McLaren were going to be very tough to defeat. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old will try to put forth a stiff challenge to his arch-rivals.

I’ll try my best but they will be tough to beat. But we will see what we can do tomorrow.

Max Verstappen added

Nico Rosberg declares McLaren ‘traumatized’ by Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is undoubtedly one of the best drivers in F1 history. The Dutch driver pushes himself to the limit at every race to get the best result for his team. This can sometimes lead to incidents on-track with Verstappen being an aggressive driver. So much so, that Nico Rosberg has now warned McLaren over the potential scene for the main race on Sunday.

Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Planetf1), Nico Rosberg (via IMAGO)
Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Planetf1), Nico Rosberg (via IMAGO)

Rosberg, who recently applauded Max Verstappen’s 2025 campaign, pointed out that Piastri and Norris would not be sleeping comfortably after Qualifying. The two McLarens know that Verstappen is right on their tails for the race, and will make any move necessary to get the win. He reckoned that Piastri and Norris might actually be ‘traumatized’ by the scenario. The German joked that the two drivers would be scared of any potential divebombs that the Red Bull driver might have in store.

It is always uncomfortable to have Verstappen behind you. Both McLaren drivers are traumatized by having Max behind them. You see this guy behind you, you know he’s gonna divebomb and try it, you’re just really scared!

Nico Rosberg said

Certainly, Max Verstappen cannot be ruled out of victory at Barcelona just yet. The Dutch driver is on the backfoot against Piastri and Norris, but all is not over. The reigning world champion knows exactly what to do in such situations and could find a way to bounce back on Sunday. As such, fans can expect a thrilling race between the three title contenders.

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