Max Verstappen Delighted with Third-Place Qualifying at Dutch GP

Max Verstappen overcame a challenging start to the Dutch Grand Prix weekend to secure a third-place qualifying finish in front of his home crowd. The Red Bull driver described the session as the best he's felt all weekend, despite earlier struggles in practice.

Verstappen, who was 0.263 seconds behind polesitter Oscar Piastri, acknowledged the pace of the McLarens ahead but remained optimistic about his race prospects. "This weekend so far was quite tricky for us, but in Qualifying, it was basically the best I've felt all weekend, so that's exactly what you want," he said. "To be P3 here, very happy with that. The energy of the crowd has been amazing, and to see so much orange on the grandstands is always very special."

Meanwhile, his Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda struggled, qualifying in 13th place. Tsunoda lamented his lack of pace despite feeling satisfied with his lap execution. "To be honest, from Q1 I felt pretty on the edge. I gave my best today. I have to see where I can improve, but I think I was pretty happy with the lap," he said.