Verstappen on RB19 without sidepods: "Then everyone can copy that again"

Max Verstappen has noticed that some top teams are copying the car of Red Bull Racing, in hopes of becoming more competitive. The driver of the Austrian team jokes that Red Bull will switch to the previous Mercedes concept, causing the other teams to likely follow suit again. The pole position that Verstappen secured on Saturday is proof that the RB19 is working excellently. Regardless, the reigning world champion already expected to be the fastest in Barcelona.

Ferrari, in particular, now has a car that resembles the RB19. Thus, the cars are starting to look more and more alike. "I think our next upgrade will be without sidepods. So then everyone can start copying that again," Verstappen jokingly says at the FIA press conference. It is now crucial for Red Bull to maintain momentum and score as many points as possible. "Everyone is, of course, doing their best to keep up, but from our side, we are never satisfied; we always want more."

Norris' start position surprises Verstappen

Despite the updates at Ferrari and Mercedes, Charles Leclerc and George Russell were eliminated early in qualifying. Verstappen is not necessarily surprised. "I am where I expected to be at the beginning of this weekend. I expected Carlos (Sainz, ed.) to be up there, but I just didn't expect Lando (Norris, ed.) to be here, but that's a pleasant surprise. Well, no, I didn't expect McLaren to be this fast. I always expect Lando to finish high. Alpine looks good too, but they have made quite a few improvements lately. So, for me, there are no real big surprises, I would say."

Furthermore, the gaps at the top are significant. The two-time world champion only needed one run to secure pole position. The Red Bull driver did come out for a second run, but he aborted it. "I just wanted to save on the tires. Maybe we'll need them during the race, you never know. We had already said in the garage that if no one was ahead of me, we might not complete the lap. So in the end, that's what we did," said Verstappen.

Verstappen the outspoken favorite after his pole position! If you play responsibly, you keep it fun. What does gambling cost you? Stop in time, 18+.