Verstappen fears for tyre management: 'It all comes down to this'

Despite technical problems during his qualifying lap, Max Verstappen managed to keep his rival Lewis Hamilton at bay today with a 0.0038 gap. However, his problems with gear changing and DRS meant this gap should have been greater, the Dutchman believes, a fact that gives him confidence for Sunday's race.

"The difference should indeed have been bigger, but in the end this was enough", the Dutchman looks back, talking to the Dutch branch Motorsport.com. "It also gives me some confidence for tomorrow. The speed is just good, although now it comes down to how we handle the tyres."

"If the car feels good over one lap, then it will be fine in the race as well", the driver, who secured the tenth pole position of his career at his home circuit, knows. He continues: "We have to complete a lot of laps and we haven't done a race here yet. In that respect many things can happen."

Support from the fans

Despite the DRS failing, the Dutchman was the fastest of the day. Perhaps the cheers from the fans, which he could hear better due to the absence of DRS, will have helped. "That's just great. It's obviously a super event for the whole of the Netherlands and I hope we can continue this for many years to come," said Verstappen.