Max Verstappen: The gap to the leader is very large

      Max Verstappen posted the second-fastest time in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint qualifying. The reigning world champion is pleased that he managed to beat one of the McLaren drivers, but he is dissatisfied with nearly half a second gap to the pole-sitter.

      His teammate at Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, finished his session in the second stage with twelfth place.

      Max Verstappen (2nd): "The second position between the two McLaren drivers is a good result for us. I think we did our best.

      I enjoy racing at Spa. My decisive lap was solid in itself, but the gap to the leader is very large. It wasn’t a surprise, as the deficit was already significant in the first practice. We need to focus on our own tasks and continue working on the balance to make the car faster.

      When you're almost five-tenths behind, straight-line speed doesn’t matter as much. Tomorrow, I will race my own race – let’s see what I can do.

      New updates? It’s hard to evaluate them during a sprint weekend, but looking at the gap, the result isn’t what we wanted. We need to keep working to get greater speed out of the car. But other teams are not standing still either."

      Yuki Tsunoda (12th): "Everything as usual. A very tense qualifying session where every detail mattered.

      I did everything I could. Looking back, I can see that I could have performed better here and there. But at least I know what I need to improve. It’s always frustrating to miss out on a result when it’s so close."