F1: “I’m not worried about Ferraris” – Verstappen (Update)

After qualifying, Verstappen indicated his car was set up for the race, not to win the pole.

“I think qualifying went well. The Ferraris have looked strong all weekend, so we knew it would be close today. We set up the car for the race, opting for a little bit more downforce; over one qualifying lap it wasn’t the best, but I think tomorrow it will be strong.

“Regardless, we were still quite close, so that’s a positive. It will be an interesting battle tomorrow; I’ll try and stay out of trouble and just make my way forward.

“We won’t be taking any crazy risks though, I know that we don’t need to win every race from now until the end of the season, but if I clear all the cars in front of me, then I will, of course, go for the win.”

Which will deflate the Tifosi, who will pack Monza on Sunday, hoping for a Ferrari victory.

Although the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. led both Friday practice sessions for the Italian GP, runaway Championship leader Max Verstappen does not seem too worried.

Verstappen’s Red Bull Honda was 2nd fastest after Practice 2 Friday afternoon, but Verstappen is happy with his car.

“I think the car was pretty good today, we’ve been trying a few different things from FP1 to FP2.

“Some things worked and some didn’t, if you look at the long runs we look good and of course that’s most important for the race.

“We did more long run practice knowing that we have the five place grid penalty on Sunday, everything seemed to work out quite well.

“There are still a few things that we can do better, but I think we should stand a good chance.

“The Ferraris look good, I’m not worried about them, but we still have a few things to finalize.”

Ouch.