Max Verstappen says he feels slightly fortunate to be on pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, with a double upshift and lack of DRS meaning there was "quite a bit more" available in his final qualifying effort. Verstappen posted a time of 1:08.885 on his second run of Q3, edging out title rival Lewis Hamilton by just 0.038s, a much smaller advantage than anticipated after the Dutchman dominated final practice . However, post-qualifying, Verstappen revealed to media, including RacingNews365.com , that he suffered a double upshift during his decisive lap, costing him crucial time to Hamilton, while he was also seen approaching the start/finish line without his DRS open. Asked about the apparent DRS issue after qualifying, Verstappen replied: "Is that so? I don't know." He then revealed: "For me, the problem started earlier. Out of Turn 3 it's quite bumpy, and I had a double shift. I was two-tenths up on my lap and then I lost like one-and-a-half-tenths all the way to Turn 7. Then you also use more energy, because you're a gear higher. "I was not aware that my DRS was closed to the line, so very lovely…" Pushed about the lack of DRS, and how much lap time he may have left on the table, Verstappen said: "I need to see [on the data]. I had no clue that it [the DRS] was closed. "Together with the double upshift, of course, it's not ideal, so there was definitely quite a bit more time in it. Luckily, it was enough for pole." Verstappen heads into Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix three points behind Hamilton in the title race, having closed the gap with victory at the rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix.
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