F1 News: Max Verstappen Optimistic Despite Error Which Cost Him Austin Pole Position

Despite an error that saw Max Verstappen lose his pole position at the Austin GP, he remains hopeful and upbeat for a challenging Sunday race.

In the dramatic qualifying session for Formula 1's United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, despite putting in the quickest lap time, will begin from sixth due to a track limit violation. Still, the two-time champion remains optimistic about Sunday's race.

Key Takeaways:

• Despite posting the fastest time in Q3, Verstappen's time was deleted because he exceeded track limits at Turn 19.
• Verstappen acknowledged the minor error on his part and mentioned that such tight margins are common when racing on the edge.

Elaborating on the decisive moment of the session, Verstappen mentioned:

“I knew in Turn 19 that it was going to be a close call. I had a little mistake in Turn 1 so I had to really push for it in the rest of the lap. It’s fine margins, honestly, I didn’t even understeer, I just tried to really maximise the corner and I misjudged it by a little bit.”

The initial exhilaration of besting Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by a mere 0.005 seconds quickly turned into disappointment when stewards deemed his effort at Turn 19 beyond track limits. Nevertheless, the Dutchman seems to be taking the setback in stride, remarking:

“It’s very fine margins when you are pushing to the limit. Of course it’s a bit unfortunate but it makes the Sunday also a bit more fun.”

Austin GP Results: Charles Leclerc Takes Pole Position At Iconic Circuit Of The Americas

With a spectacular performance throughout this season, capturing 14 of the 17 races so far, Verstappen has an opportunity to equal his own impressive record. This means that even from the sixth position, his eyes are set on the top spot.

Reiterating his objective and outlook for the race, Verstappen stated:

“Of course we want to win so for sure today was not ideal, but it’s still a long race and there’s a lot of things we can do better and have a bit of fun out there as well.”