25 November 2023 , 17:30
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Max Verstappen admonished Helmut Marko for betting against him after the Dutchman took pole for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
It was his 12th qualifying success of the 2023 season but, admittedly, it did not look likely after practice. Verstappen was off the pace and, unusually, struggling to find the right set-up for his Red Bull.
But he seemed to find the right formula when it mattered. His first flying lap in Q3 was enough to secure pole position and team principal Christian Horner a tidy bit of cash.
"Well done mate, you've just won me 500 Euros off Helmut, which is like getting blood out of a stone," declared a delighted Horner over the radio to his driver. Verstappen responded: "Huh, Helmut lost a bet? What world are we living in?"
Horner went on to clarify: "Exactly! The bet was for you to be on the front row mate." And Verstappen had a message for Marko in his post-session press conference as he gave the 80-year-old a tongue-in-cheek telling off.
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"Helmut definitely learned his lesson - never bet against me," he declared with a smile. Pole in Abu Dhabi was his 12th of the season, tying the current record held by Lewis Hamilton from the 2016 season.
Speaking to journalists, Verstappen admitted that it felt "very weird" to have put his car on pole after his set-up struggles in practice. "I mean, the whole weekend so far has been a bit of a struggle," said the Dutchman.
"We definitely improved the car for qualifying. From lap one, it all seemed a bit more together. We could definitely push more. Around here already with the tyres, if you do little slides and whatever, it can cost you a lot of lap time. That was what was happening for us in practice.
"But then in qualifying, it all just was a bit more connected... I have no clue how good we're going to be in the race. Normally we are always quite decent. It's been a very special season. We've been enjoying it a lot."
Team-mate Sergio Perez briefly shot to P2 on the timesheets but had that lap deleted, condemning him to ninth on the grid. That was still two places better off than Hamilton who didn't even reach Q3, while it turned out to be Charles Leclerc who will join Verstappen on the front row for Sunday's race.