Verstappen quantifies how much he gained from Hadjar's slipstream
Max Verstappen admitted he would likely have qualified only sixth for the Belgian Grand Prix without the assistance of team-mate Isack Hadjar, after Red Bull executed a perfectly planned slipstream strategy in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
With Hadjar already carrying a back-of-the-grid penalty, Red Bull used the Frenchman to provide Verstappen with a tow during Q3. The strategy paid off, with Verstappen setting a lap of 1:44.678 to secure second on the grid, splitting the Mercedes of polesitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli and the McLaren of Lando Norris, who will drop back because of a grid penalty.
Verstappen praised the team's execution after qualifying, believing Red Bull extracted everything possible from a package that lacked outright straight-line speed.
"I think we really executed well as a team today, and we're happy to be starting on the front row," Verstappen said.
"The whole weekend has been positive: the car is in a good window, and the balance is decent as well. We have just been lacking a bit of straight-line speed compared to the other teams, but we have been able to maximise the potential of the car."
The four-time world champion reserved special praise for Hadjar, whose slipstream proved decisive on Verstappen's final Q3 lap.
"Of course, Isack helped me out in Q3 with the tow in the final sector. A big thank you to him, as it is one of the main reasons why I'm sitting here in P2 for tomorrow's race."
Verstappen estimated the tow was worth around three tenths of a second—an enormous gain in one of the closest qualifying sessions of the season.
"We gained around three tenths of lap time, so without it we likely would have qualified around P6, given how close the gap to the others was."
Despite securing a front-row start, Verstappen expects Sunday's race to be a defensive affair, with several faster cars lining up behind him.
"Tomorrow will be more about looking in the mirrors and defending the cars around us, so hopefully it will be an interesting race."
