Max Verstappen delivers 'time to shine' pledge as intense McLaren battle charge looms

Max Verstappen has vowed to go "three-wide" with the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris into the first corner at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver starts the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in third, with the papaya pair having locked out the front row - the first time the Woking squad has done so in Spain since 1998.

Having set the exact same lap time - 1:11.848 - as Verstappen, George Russell will start alongside him, but the Dutchman is more concerned with who is ahead of him.

A third of the way into the F1 season, he trails Piastri by 25 points in the standings, with Norris only 22 ahead of him. That leaves the four-time drivers' champion in striking distance, but he nonetheless feels it will "tough" to stay in touch with the McLaren pair during the race in Spain.

When asked about the importance of the start, at a venue where 91% of victories have come from the front row, and his expected race pace, Verstappen argued it is "not all about the start and Turn 1" in the fight for the win.

"I think it's time to shine in Turn 1, yeah," the 27-year-old told media including RacingNews365. "Make it three-wide for the pictures. Why not? 

"Honestly, I think looking at pace, it will be tough. Like Oscar said, it’s not all about the start and Turn 1.

"You need to be good on tyres. It’s a long race. A lot can happen. So, I’ll just try to maximise what I got."

'Not as simple as take the lead at the start and cruise from there'

Verstappen's remarks came after Piastri had suggested the Spanish Grand Prix will be a departure from the norm seen so far this season.

Eight rounds into the campaign, strong qualifying and starts have been key, but the Australian feels that trend could be bucked in Barcelona.

"There's going to be some strategy involved," the Australian said. "The long runs were pretty painful for everyone, I think.

So, it's going to be a different race to a lot of the races we've had this year... I think it will be an interesting race still and it's not as simple as take the lead at the start and cruise from there.

"It's going to be a challenge to manage the tyres, timing your stops right. There's going to be a lot going on."