Verstappen not expecting to beat leaders on merit, but will try

With Daniel Ricciardo starting at the back of the grid, Max Verstappen  will carry the Red Bull torch tomorrow, launching his race from P4 after gaining a spot thanks to Valtteri Bottas’ demotion.

The teenager is looking to put a halt to his recent run of bad luck which has seen him retire from five of the last seven races.

But Verstappen wasn’t exactly satisfied with his Saturday afternoon session given the gap with the front-runners. 

“The whole weekend, we haven’t been able to get the car like we want to,” explained the 19-year-old.

“It’s not the grip we want so it’s not ideal. It’s difficult. I think the track was still improving a little bit in Q3 but the last run was actually alright.

“But we just want a bit more stable balance, a bit more grip. We just can’t get on top of it.”

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Verstappen doubts his race pace will be on a par with Mercedes and Ferrari.

“I think they just stepped up a bit today, so we’ll fall behind a bit,” he added.

“We always try, but it will be different to beat them on merit and on pace, but hopefully something happens and I have a bit of luck.”

Struggling with his RB13’s balance hasn’t taken anything away from the kick the young charger is getting from racing a new-spec car around Silverstone’s fast sweeps compared with last year’s sensations.

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“It’s a lot more than last year,” he admits.

“Copse is flat and then when you through Maggots and Becketts, there’s no braking just down-shifting with a lift, and then you go mid-corner on the throttle again. It is quick.”

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