Key to victory for Verstappen? 'Mercedes is still very fast in that case'

During the third free practice session it was Max Verstappen who set the fastest time of the session, which gave a little bit of hope for the Red Bull Racing driver. Normally the Bahrain circuit is a perfect location for Mercedes. The only thing that became clear in qualifying was that Lewis Hamilton's team was too fast for Verstappen.

"It’s life. But it’s not only here. It’s the whole calendar, the whole year Mercedes have more speed than us. So there’s no surprise there," said the Dutchman in front of the Sky Sports F1 camera.

Problems in qualifying

During qualifying, Verstappen came on the radio to report that his RB16 had less grip than in free practice, something that didn't help in the fight against Mercedes. "The rear grip wasn’t amazing. You always have to take into consideration that it’s warmer in FP3 and a bit less grip. We were just lacking that extra grip that you need in qualifying somehow, so we’ll look into that. It wouldn’t have given me pole position, but it settles the car a bit more down. It is what it is. Still P3, so that’s okay."

The Red Bull Racing team are now focusing on the Grand Prix itself, with Mercedes having other tires at its disposal. Are there any opportunities for Verstappen there? "They are still very fast. I try to keep the gap as close as possible and I know that we have different tyres compared to Mercedes. I just hope that we’ll be competitive tomorrow," the Dutchman concludes.