“We'll have to pass 1 car”: Max Verstappen ‘looking forward’ to the test in Baku after finishing behind Charles Leclerc in qualifying

Max Verstappen finished second behind his 2022 championship rival Charles Leclerc in the qualifying session ahead of the 2023 Azerbaijan GP. The Dutchman will start on the front row in Baku for the first time ever and will be looking to attack Leclerc on Sunday (April 30).

The two-time world champion claimed Red Bull tried something different on his final out-lap in Q3 - something that didn't quite click for the Dutchman. However, given Ferrari's high tire degradation on race day, the 25-year-old can hope for yet another race win in the sport.

Given the new qualifying format this weekend, the drivers didn't get enough time to get accustomed to the track in their 2023 challengers. A separate qualifying round for the sprint race on Saturday will be held, giving drivers another chance to show off their qualifying pace.

Speaking to Mark Webber in Parc Ferme after qualifying, Max Verstappen claimed he is looking forward to Sunday's race. He said:

"It's always tough around here to put the whole lap together. I think also in the second run, we tried something different on the out-lap which maybe was not ideal for the lap time at the end. Around here, it's really hard. Q3, you're on the limit and then trying to make everything perfect. Nevertheless, we are P2. We know that we have a good race car. We'll have to pass one car."

Others to blame for Max Verstappen's dominance, claims former Bridgestone head

Former Bridgestone tire competition head Kees van de Grint recently stated that Max Verstappen's current dominance in F1 is not entirely his own doing. Verstappen has taken the lead in the Drivers' Championship by winning two races and finishing second in the first three events of the 2023 season.

Red Bull currently holds a commanding 1-2 position in the drivers' standings with Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez in second place. Fernando Alonso is third in the standings, trailing Verstappen by 24 points after the first three events.

According to Van de Grint, Verstappen's competitors are at fault for his success as they have failed to keep up with Red Bull's technological advancements in the modern ground-effect era of the sport. He claims that Verstappen has not faced any significant resistance from other teams due to his car's superior performance.

Van de Grint said:

“It is, of course, monotonous, I did not expect otherwise but Max Verstappen is the big winner. His dominance is actually not good for the sport but you can’t blame him, you have to blame the rest of it.”

With the Dutchman starting just behind Charles Leclerc's rear wing for Sunday's main race, it will be interesting to see whether the two-time world champion can break the Baku curse by becoming a repeat winner.