Max Verstappen has revealed he's 'very happy' after finishing second to Lewis Hamilton in Chinese Grand Prix Sprint qualifying on Friday morning - but also complained about Red Bull's speed.
Hamilton, who endured a race to forget in Australia on Sunday, finished 0.018s ahead of his rival to boost his chances of victory this weekend.
Verstappen finished second, with the Red Bull star dending off competition from McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
And the Dutchman, speaking to Sky Sports, has insisted he's happy with the achievement.
Max Verstappen has revealed he's 'very happy' after finishing second to Lewis Hamilton in Chinese Grand Prix Sprint qualifying on Friday morning - but also complained about Red Bull's speed
SKY
"I'm very happy," he admitted.
"In practice, we were quite a bit off so I'm very happy to be on the front row.
"The lap was very good. It's always very tough when you go from a medium to soft with no references and when you look at it, 0.018s off pole, I don't even think we should have been on the front row anyway so I'm very happy to be second."
Verstappen did, however, then complain that Red Bull were 'just too slow'.
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"The balance was not massively off," he said.
"We were just too slow but this is good for us, a little motivation boost for everyone that we keep nailing the laps and maximising everything you have got and you need to do that as well when you are struggling a bit more for pace."
Lando Norris won the Australian Grand Prix last weekend.
However, the 25-year-old could only finish sixth in Sprint qualifying.
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LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES #F1SPRINT POLE 🤩
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 21, 2025
Wow! #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/iPRaB1nHqg
Norris, reacting to the session, said: "I made a mistake. I locked up in the last corner.
"We just struggled a bit more now, just not quick enough, simply. Struggled a lot with the car. Just our difficulties that we’ve been struggling with showed a lot more today.
"So, nothing more than that, honestly. Just too many mistakes but just too difficult of a car to drive.
"I think just throughout the day we’ve been struggling a bit with the front-locking and in the last corner with the tail-wind.
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"Kind of a lot more aligned with Bahrain, just a lot windier. When the wind’s blowing then we struggle a lot more. I think both myself and Oscar struggled more, clearly me more than him.
"Just pushing a bit hard to try to make up for not quite being quick enough."
Hamilton, meanwhile, has revealed he's 'in shock' after securing his first Sprint pole as a Ferrari driver.
"Firstly I want to say a big thank you to this amazing crowd we have today. I didn't expect that result but I'm so happy and so proud," he said.
Max Verstappen is hoping Red Bull can shine at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend
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"The last race was a disaster for us and we knew there was more performance in the car but wasn't able to extract it.
"To come here to a track I love, Shanghai a beautiful place, the weather has been amazing and the car came alive from lap one.
"We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job in the break to get the car ready.
"I'm a bit in shock. I can't believe we get a pole for the Sprint! It puts us in good stead for the race."
