Verstappen sees bright outlook for Red Bull after rain-hit qualifying
Max Verstappen is confident Red Bull have a "good shot" if the weather stays fair for the Styrian Grand Prix after taking second place in a wet qualifying session.
It appeared qualifying could even be pushed back until Sunday due to downpours in Austria, though the cars eventually made their way out onto a sodden track following a 46-minute delay.
Lewis Hamilton duly produced a masterclass in treacherous conditions to take pole position, the reigning world champion finishing 1.2 seconds clear of nearest rival Verstappen at the end of Q3.
The Dutchman had hoped to close the gap on his final lap only to suffer a slight spin, though he has high hopes of being able to push for victory with rain forecast to stay away for the race.
"I think in the dry we can have a good shot at it. [We'll] See how it's going to go," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1. "I think the car in general is better than last week, so I'm looking forward to it."
Verstappen was happy enough with his overall performance on Saturday, particularly as visibility for drivers was "horrible" due to the conditions.
What a qualifying that was! Absolute class from @LewisHamilton #AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/g2D5y9XlWJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 11, 2020
"I think overall it was a good qualifying," he said.
"In Q3 it was raining a lot more and it seemed we were struggling a bit more in the wet conditions, I was aquaplaning a lot more and couldn't really put the power down.
"It was not easy, but I think P2 is still good. It's very tricky out there, the last lap could've been better, but I don't think it was enough to beat Lewis.
"Visibility was horrible. With the spray from the tyres, you can't see a thing. Even if you're six seconds behind, it’s already very hard to see the braking zones."
Carlos Sainz claimed P3 and will start on the second row alongside Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas.
McLaren will be hoping Sainz, who is heading to Ferrari next year, can claim a second successive podium spot for the team, following Lando Norris' third-place finish a week ago at the same track.
"Very happy to put in P3 for the first time in my career," Sainz told Sky Sports F1. "It feels amazing especially that qualifying was one of the toughest I have done. There was so much aquaplaning it was crazy.
"The car on race trim has been better than we thought so we are kind of confident going into tomorrow. I will have Alex [Albon, who starts sixth] and Valtteri behind, so will be a tough first few laps, but hopefully I can settle into my pace."