This evening Max Verstappen showed his class by claiming pole position for tomorrows Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The McLarens were favorites to dominate the qualifying session until Norris crashed out. I mentioned last week how I felt that Norris just does not have that winning mentality and he folded under the pressure making a vital mistake. These are the clutch moments championship drivers tend to excel at and Norris crashed which will knock his confidence which he questions all the time.
Whilst Norris folded Verstappen used his driving skills to show it is more than just having a fast car because his Red Bull is not the fastest car. Verstappen knows how to eek out and get the best result even if the car is not what it was a season or so ago.
Michael Schumacher was the same as champion drivers know how to take it to the edge where as other drivers pull back. There are only a handful of drivers who have this supernatural ability and this is not something you can teach. Verstappen is one of those generational talents that is just better than everyone else. Verstappen could have been in any of the top 4 cars and the result would be no different. I do think he is proving each week how valuable he is as his results defy the data and you cannot build in for the x factor.
This afternoon during the practice sessions McLaren and Mercedes showed they had the pace and Red Bull were a good 0.8 seconds behind. What was telling during qualifying was Verstappen was zoned in and you could see the difference between himself and the rest as his driving lines were spot on.
You felt the other drivers were not expecting Verstappen to be a factor in qualifying and he kind of crashed their party. The other drivers admitted they could not have done more and Verstappen outclassed them all. This is not about the car anymore as everyone used to say if you have the fastest car then you will just win. Verstappen is proving that theory all wrong and defying the odds.
Winning a qualification lap is not winning the race and the car may have the last say. Placing yourself at the front of the race is only part of this as this race rack is a high speed circuit with many overtaking opportunities. I still fully expect Piastri to win the race tomorrow as the McLaren tends to be kinder on the tyre degradation, but Verstappen is not out of this. A safety car pausing the racing changes all of this and the amount of crashes we have seen through 3 practice sessions and then qualifying gives a high possibility racing will be paused at some point. This allows cars to change tyres and brings Verstappen right back in the mix. 2 years ago Verstappen qualified in 15h and finished 2nd so never write him off.
Tomorrows race will be a great watch as Piastri or Verstappen are expected to win, but Russell or LeClerc could still upset the odds. The high percentage of a crash or two can change things dramatically and any result is on the table.