Max Verstappen claims he was at the ‘wrong place at wrong time’ after finishing P4 in British GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen admitted that he got unlucky due to the onset of rain during Qualifying at the British GP.

Max Verstappen claims he was at the ‘wrong place at wrong time’ after finishing P4 in British GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko, and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

The British GP has become one of the most interesting races of the 2024 F1 season. Mercedes managed to lock out the front row in Qualifying with George Russell on pole position. On the other hand, reigning world champion Max Verstappen could only manage a P4 result. The Dutch driver opened up on his struggles after the session.

Verstappen claimed that it was simply an instance of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Dutch driver mentioned that he went out on track a bit late as Red Bull did not expect rain during the session. Max Verstappen highlighted that other drivers had already went back on track. Ultimately, this forced the 26-year-old onto the gravel and incurred floor damage to his car.

Just wrong place at wrong time. We went out late and we didn't expect it to rain. And those ahead had already cleared that area and I saw rain on my visor. I did lift and ran wide and through the gravel.
Max Verstappen said

The reigning world champion highlighted that the Red Bull crew did its best to fix the damage before his run in Q3. Max Verstappen claimed that he was happy with his team’s efforts but found himself unlucky in Qualifying. The Dutch driver was disappointed to not be on pole but ensured that he will be attacking for victory on Sunday.

FS Video
The team did a good job trying to optimise the damage. To be P4, I'm happy with that. Just a bit unlucky. Honestly, I would have liked to be P1, and we could have been fighting for it, but we need to drive an attacking race.
Max Verstappen explained

Max Verstappen expects a ‘close’ race on Sunday at Silverstone

Qualifying finished stiff competition for pole position. McLaren and Mercedes were in a close fight. Albeit Lando Norris failed to beat Russell and Hamilton. Nevertheless, George Russell will be hoping to convert his pole into a race win after feeling good with the Mercedes W15 on track.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen highlighted that fans could witness a close race on Sunday. The Dutch driver claimed that rivals, Mercedes and McLaren hit the ground running at Silverstone. On the other hand, Verstappen seemed to have more of ‘hit or miss’ outcomes this weekend. The reigning world champion highlighted that the team could not get the pace out of the car despite making changes for Qualifying.

I think it will be very close between the teams. They have been on it a weekend, and they have hit the ground running. For me, it was hit or miss. We made changes and the car felt better in quali. But we couldn't saw the pace.
Max Verstappen concluded

Verstappen would be looking to make gains during the British GP. The Red Bull driver is in a dire need of a race win to solidify his lead in the championship. However, it seems that Max Verstappen is on the backfoot at the backyard of his arch-rivals. As such, it remains to be seen how things pan out for the Dutchman in Sunday’s race.

In case you missed it: