Max Verstappen 2nd in Belgium: How the slipstream trick with Hadjar worked

In the thrilling qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Max Verstappen had to settle for second place behind Kimi Antonelli, 0.317 seconds off pole position.

But Max is clearly pleased, as it was only thanks to a slipstream from his team-mate Isack Hadjar that he was able to go 15 hundredths faster than on his first attempt; the Parisian helped the Dutchman secure P2.

It almost went wrong, as Max was really right up against the gearbox of Hadjar’s car at Blanchimont. Max grins: “If necessary, I would have given him a push!”

The 28-year-old Verstappen talks about his qualifying session: “Isack’s help made all the difference today; otherwise I might have finished sixth or thereabouts.”

“We knew Isack had to go to the back of the field, so we tried the slipstream manoeuvre in the third section of the track, and it paid off perfectly! That was a great team effort.”

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“Of course, we’d thought about it beforehand: should we do it in the first section of the track or the third? We then worked out that the effect would be even more pronounced in the third section.”

So Max Verstappen is now starting the race from P2 for the third time this season – after Miami and Monaco. What does the Dutchman think he can achieve in the Grand Prix?

Max says: “I’ve got a lot of fast cars behind me, but of course I’ll try to hold on to my position at the front as best I can. We’ve had a decent race car all weekend, even if it’s not quite on a par with Kimi’s Mercedes.”

“But we can be proud that we’ve made it onto the front row. Tyre wear will be a major factor, and I’ll naturally try to put up as strong a fight as possible in the Grand Prix.”

“I’m happy with the car’s balance; we’re losing too much time on the straights. We’re quick through the twisty middle section. As a team, we got the most out of it today, with that slipstream from Isack. I was driving flat out and right on his tail. At first I even thought – oh dear, I’m too close! But then it was as good as perfect.”