Max Verstappen has suggested he will need an element of luck to contest against McLaren at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. Verstappen ended qualifying on top of the timesheets but entered the session with a 10-place grid penalty looming over his head. The Dutchman is now set to start the race from 11th on the grid after being fitted with a new internal combustion engine for the weekend. As he seeks to take his first race win since the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen hinted he is expecting a challenging race starting in the midfield. “We are not making it easy on ourselves, and especially, of course, in the battle that we're in,” Verstappen. “I know that today was a great day, but it's in the wet. We need to be quick in the dry tomorrow. “It's going to be a tough battle. We'll try to do the best we can. Hopefully, we can battle with the Ferraris and Mercedes' ahead. “If we have a bit of luck, maybe we can challenge the McLarens.”
Verstappen wary of Turn 1 danger
Verstappen's fastest lap of the session saw him jump to the top of the timesheet by almost six-tenths of a second. However, as he takes the race start surrounded by rival cars, Verstappen understands the perils that go along with a low-lying starting position. “A race can be lost in Turn 1,” he stated. “So we just need to see what happens at the start and just go from there. “It's a very long race, it's very hard on tyres. We just need to try and manage that as good as we can, and hopefully then we can be competitive.”
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